# The Legendary Beast Pack



## ....

_Out of breath and out of time.

_This was what Leo was thinking as he was running. He was running towards this group, full of strange pokemon, who called themselves the Legendary Beast Pack. 

_Maybe I can help them. Maybe they'll actually want me.
_
As he skidded to a halt in the meadow of Route 1, he said, "Hi. I'm a nutcase who goes berserk whenever the heck I'm mad. So who are you?" to the strange group. 

He was truly panting now. After all, he'd been running for two years.


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## Exo-Raikou

Frollo had been hovering through the pathway, using his telekinetic "enhancement" ability to run if he felt that hovering would be unnecessary. After Arceus knows how long of alternating between hovering and running, he reached the meadow where several other pokemon were gathering. Moments before this, a Quilava had joined in the group and said something about going berserk whenever angry. The Alakazam paused to see if anyone would introduce themselves, and when nobody did, he started to speak up, but thought better of it.

_Why should I get myself too involved with this group? I have no idea as to the extent of their battle skill..._ he shaped one of his spoons into a hammer, _I, a judge among pokemon as to their worth... why should I have to be the one that would do what they might call "take the initiative?" The idea is very... disheartening._

He reshaped the hammer into a spoon. _I suppose that I'll wait to see the results of this all...._


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## Blastoise Fortooate

Hoss grunted, a rumbling, gruff sound from deep in his throat. It would have once reverberated in his helmet, but since his evolution that simply wasn't a problem. It was the marowak's turn at guard duty, not a job that he particularly resented. It gave him time to himself, mostly, and he got to scare away random wild ratatta and such. Of course, this one was a tad too large, slender, and on fire to be a ratatta. 

On first sight of the pokémon, transparent flashes swam across Hoss's vision; a typhlosion spinning across a burning landscape, another locked in heavy, thudding close combat with a rival. As quickly as they came, these visions faded into the very background of his mind.

For now.

Hefting his heavy, spiked club, Hoss straightened up and took a few steps towards the tiny quilava. His voice crackled with the energy and slight insanity of a young pitbattler, and his cream chest was heaving with a lack of breath. His flames flared in the darkness of the night, outshining a pale moon.

Once again, a grinding noise escaped Hoss's unseen lips, this time in the form of words. "_I _am on guard duty, little one. And there _might _be those among us who would not take so kindly to an intruder, even such a young one," He held up a finger. "Excuse me, do not move,"

With this, Hoss hefted his heavy club and marched at a quick pace towards an... alakazam? A woodland fire-type was one thing, but a fully-evolved psychic floating in midair? He would have to deal with this quickly.

Quashing down the images of powerful psychic assaults that flooded his mind, Hoss once again begrudgingly spoke. "You, Psychic One. What business do you have here, of all places? State your purpose or you will have to be..." Here Hoss hefted his thick, ancient weapon. "..expunged."


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## Arylett Charnoa

There were many shadows within the shadows.

Shadows within the night. Lurking and creeping about, the pale moon revealing them into the ground. But _these_ shadows were nothing more than illusions. Things that you could look at, things that would intimidate and cause fear, but things that could hurt no one.

But then there were those shadows that crept around, mysteriously and unknown. Were they malicious? Weren't they? One couldn't really set their bets on this one... 

A moving stalking shadow, black as the night, yet the moonlight ruined her stealth. She was never really too stealthy and graceful and lithe anyway; she was built for power and power only. Pure power never could have such grace. 

The awkward shadow's red glimmering eyes spotted a pack of Pokemon gathering in the distance. Hmm...

She quickly wiped her paws on the ground, cleaning off a dark red shimmering liquid on it. For a moment, she gazed at it in the light. It made her think of him... of the confused thoughts he gave her when she left him... 

No. Forget about him. Focus. There was something interesting going on in the distance, she couldn't miss this.

When she finished her wiping, she ran towards the group and then stopped some distance away as she heard voices speaking. Something about a... Psychic One?  And there was light too... flames and fire. The first thing her eyes spotted was a young Quilava, babbling idiotically about berserkery. Then her eyes went to the other voice's source... an Alakazam (obviously the Psychic One, she thought) and a rather peculiar-looking Marowak... although both did look a bit unusual from how their species normally looked...

The Marowak sounded hostile and she grinned. A fight seemed about to break out. She wanted to watch, but she knew the boned weirdo would probably notice her. If he noticed her... he'd maybe get into a fight with her. At the moment, she didn't really feel in the mood for fights... that odd feeling from before... with the red liquid... it still lingered. So she decided to speak up.

"Hey, Boneass. What's your deal, huh? Not like you own the place, what are you guarding anyway? Probably something stupid, really. I mean, what could a pile of bones like you guard anyway?"


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## Zora of Termina

In the dark of the night, under a tree to the west... all you might see is shadow. It was quite dark, after all. In fact, you might be quite shocked to see the bright yellow eyes open from under there, locked onto the Quilava with interest. An ear flickered, and the black Ninetales rose up from her position, spraying a few flames as she yawned out.

_...Going berserk when he's angry. That kid has no idea..._ 

Sheila knew. Far be it from a rumor to her what an angry rage felt like. But did the kid know... what it was like to not even be in control? She snorted. He probably didn't. But she knew.

_Wonder how Ed's gonna react to this one... the loveable asshole._ she smirked as well as a Ninetales could, looking around for the cat. That golden fur wouldn't be too hard to spot... she wondered for a moment, how it would look in the moonlight...

_...Don't be silly Sheila. He wouldn't be interested. At all... wait, why the hell am I thinking about this?_

Oh? Now what was this? That tough Marowak guy... he was interrogating an Alakazam. Probably a good idea. If he somehow wound up being a spy... she could roast him to death and be done with it... and now an Absol. Acting a bitch. This looked to be the beginnings of something interesting.


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## see ya

Pali closed her eyes and smiled, stepping along the path and occasionally letting the breeze lift her and push her forward towards the group of pokemon. Sure, the night was dark, but there were stars and fresh air and the gentle chirping of crickets all around. Much better than the dank, stale air and pitiful moans and screams of abused and battle-scarred pokemon. 

Really, it would have been fine if she could have walked like this forever. But she too had agreed to meet up with the group, and she had nowhere else to go. The wind picked up and she gave a little hop into it, drifting gently near the outside of the group of gathered pokemon. 

"Hello..." she said, her voice slow and deliberate, yet warm. "I guess you're the ones, huh... Okay... that's okay... you all seem nice... Have to be if you wanted to get out of there..." She smiled calmly.


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina had dealt with pain before - many, many times before. One couldn't survive long in the pitfights if they weren't used to being hurt. But the whip weals on top of her wounds from the fight hurt with more than just physical pain, and she hated herself for feeling so betrayed. No one could accuse her of _liking_ her trainer. She never had. He had been boastful, a braggart with a tendency to gamble and enough luck to usually come out on top. She had been one of those gambles - she had no enhanced abilities, nothing risky and dangerous to make her different from any other Arcanine. She could have been a failure. But he had trained her well, and brought her to love the feeling of triumph when her jaws closed on a leg and snapped the bone, or the moment of victory when her opponent staggered and fell in a pool of his own blood. 

That had always been the important thing. She had been the victor, and he had treated her relatively well. She had considered herself superior to those that were beaten at every battle, that feared and hated any human. She had thought herself naturally better, luring herself into a trap of her own devising.

Her muscles reminded her that she had stupidly decided to escape - she was already regretting it - right after a battle where she had been badly injured and exhausted, and she could feel the bone-deep fatigue building up. Her head felt heavy, weighed down by the helmet that she hadn't gotten rid of yet. Now, at least, she knew she was no better than the other Pokemon, caged and beaten and treated as lesser beings. This sudden revelation tormented her. She couldn't go back, could she? Nothing would be the same, but where did she think she was running to anyways? She had no life outside the pits, that was for certain. And maybe no life inside them as well, now.

Her stride shortened as a complex tangle of scents struck her, and she didn't bother to pick apart all of them. Coming to a stop, she tried to catch her breath, hating how her legs trembled. She had pushed herself too far, of course. How typical of her. Why were there so many Pokemon out here anyways? Some reeked of the arena, but others didn't, and for once she considered that story of escaped Pokemon forming a pack. She had laughed at that and ignored it - but maybe it was true. There few other explanations she could think of.

Padding forward slowly, she tried to even out her breathing, head tilted but knowing the dim light from moon and stars would catch on the metal anyways. "Well, this is interesting..." she drawled, eyes narrowed and trying to figure out just how many there were.


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## Exo-Raikou

Frollo turned his cold gaze toward the Marowak. For a moment, he considered agreeing with the Absol, that this "Boneass" didn't have any authority to ask of what his business was.

_But that... would not allow me to see how worthy this "ally" might be._

"If you must know, I am known by the name of Claude Frollo, though most refer to me by my surname. As for my business here, what else could it be but this 'liberation' quest that you've set up. I was rather unaware that there are those _opposed_ to liberation, and if you consider me to be part of that sect..."

He began to gather psychic energy in his spoons.

"Then by all means, show me what you are capable of. You could be the first of this grouped to be judged of worthiness."

The Alakazam focused necessary energy into the spoons, so that the moment the situation turned... sour, he could shape them into a weapon of choice. He guessed that things would go bad; this Marowak didn't look like it would take his words too well.


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## Blastoise Fortooate

An absol, a vaguely familiar erufuun, an arcanine, so many newcomers. Hoss shut his eyes for a moment, willing the now-jumbled flashes of insight to just disappear. A decapitation from an absol, dancing cotton spores, flaming charges against unseen enemies, it all meshed together into a messy spiral before it winked away.

_'Boneass?'

_Hoss shrugged, burying the small anger that filled his chest. Loudmouthed absol, more a harbinger of annoyance than anything, apparently. And this Frollo character, so smug and... _smug. _But, of course, reacting with anger would be unprofessional. 

"I'm sorry if I sounded... terse, Claude Frollo. As you can see, outsiders to our group have arrived _en masse _and I'm a bit pressured right now," Here, Hoss raised his voice. "All of you, please gather by that stump over there (here he pointed) and wait for the rest of our Pack, if that is indeed why you are here. If you are not here to join, go there anyway and we will sort you out," Hoss lifted his club and placed the heavy end in his other hand.

He turned once again to Frollo. "If you want to, erm, _judge _me, then I will be more than happy to do so later, Frollo." Hoss's throat hurt slightly; he wasn't used to speaking this much, especially not on guard duty of all things.


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

"Heh. Heh heh." The Absol chuckled. 

He was pretending she hadn't bugged him... how cute. Although a display of anger might've been more amusing, well, that also might've lead to him fighting with her and she definitely wasn't in the mood for that either. She figured from the beginning he would take no consequence from such negative comments... wasn't man enough. She had seen those little prisses before, skipping around, pretending like she hadn't annoyed them! They were amusing too.

"Damn, I thought there was going to be a show..." She was also disappointed that it didn't seem as though the Alakazam and the Marowak were going to fight, but she was interested in the Marowak's words. Pack...? Hmm.... was this the Pack she had often heard talk of? That Pack that tried to stop the Pit Fighting?

Personally, it was none of her business whether it stopped or not. If the humans wanted to continue, they could continue, she had gotten away from that... but... then again... she had nowhere else to go. Traveling alone would be dangerous; she was no fool. 

"...But I guess I'll stick around for this less amusing show. I mean, what we got here? We got some hyperactive annoying kid, _great_, Boneass who's trying to hide his angry face, Claude Spoono, and uh, some other insignificant quiet nothings.  Should be fun, should be very _fun_."

And with that, she went to sit by the stump, grinning a bit to herself. Ah, that felt good.


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## see ya

Pali flinched a little as she noticed the Marowak who had spoken up. After all, that very bone club he held once came down right over her head and nearly fractured her skull... but she didn't want to think about that. He was here to help her and all of them now. It was those kinds of things she wanted to put behind her. 

Calmly she stepped over to the group and seated herself by the stump the Marowak had pointed at, casually picking at the ground. 

"Okay...I'm ready to listen now..." she said, "Please... I hope people don't fight too much... I think we've done enough of that... But maybe you need to talk about things... that's okay too...."


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## RespectTheBlade

_Hate...running...can't...run...anymore..._

Xenon collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. He checked over his shoulder, making sure he wasn't being followed. When all seemed clear, he stood up and dusted himself off.

_Where are they? they said they'd be coming this way. I knew I shouldn't have taken that last turn._

Xenon was about to give up hope until he heard a familiar voice.

"I'm sorry if I sounded... terse, Claude Frollo. As you can see, outsiders to our group have arrived en masse and I'm a bit pressured right now. All of you, please gather by that stump over there and wait for the rest of our Pack, if that is indeed why you are here. If you are not here to join, go there anyway and we will sort you out," 

_Oh, so Hoss is with them. Though I've no clue who this Frollo guy is._

Xenon waited a bit, and then walked up cautiously. He saw an Arcanine, an Erufuun, an Absol, and an Alakazam were waiting by a tree stump. He stepped up to the Marowak, blades raised just in case he decided to try something stupid.

"Hello, Hoss."


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## Zora of Termina

Well, the new kids looked like they checked out... Sheila stepped out into the open, still surveying them and looking out for her comrades. Oh, now what was this...? A Gallade? Oh, it was that Xenon guy.

"...Whatever." she huffed. Indeed, Sheila was getting impatient. She wanted to head out already. Her siblings... They were out there somewhere. She didn't know where, but they were there... maybe there was other family. Maybe Frost was out there looking for her.

"When is everyone going to get here...?" She looked up to the moon. There seemed to be a... buzzing, in the back of her head. That presence... It talked sometimes. She didn't know what it was... but it was there.


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## Exo-Raikou

A small smile played across Frollo's face, if only for an instant.

"Well then, I look forward to that opportunity."

He then floated over to the tree stump, where several others have gathered. hese were all pokemon that he'd never seen before, much less battled with (which made sense, considering how he'd executed anyone that he'd beaten in the past fifty years, and he never forgot about those that had bested him; these pokemon were none of them.)

His gaze drifted to the Absol. As a psychic, he had a natural dislike for darks, and there was something... further unsettling about this one.

_I will have to keep a close eye on her,_ he thought, turning his attention again to the Marowak, _a very close eye on her._

It was then that the Gallade entered the group. As with the rest, Frollo did not recognize him.

_It's going to be very interesting to see which ones of these are worthy, and which need to be... dealt with._


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## Blastoise Fortooate

'_trying to hide his angry face_'? Hoss blushed imperceptively.

Hoss kneaded his brow as Frollo floated off like a good twat, an entirely psychological action seeing as his entire head was encased in thick, white bone. He felt a stir in his mind, a flicker, as Sheila stepped into his peripheral vision. She was another quiet one, mostly, although more social around _some_ than he was. He didn't mind her silence in the slightest; he had too much to deal with right now.

"Hello, Hoss."         

Hmm? Oh, yes, here was the obnoxiously-purple gallade (another light flicker) he had met before. For some reason he was in a defensive posture, armblades raised. Hoss couldn't fathom why.

"Oh, yes, Xenon," Hoss grunted not unhappily. "Nice to see you," It wasn't a lie, not really.


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## Stormecho

Basaina was no stranger to oddities - she had become as accustomed to weirdly coloured Pokemon or ones that seemed too unearthly to be real. Such was the life of the freaks humans constantly experimented on. She had considered herself lucky to not have her sanity whittled away, but sometimes a particular Pokemon would still make her hackles rise out of pure unease at the wrongness of what she was seeing. 

It seemed that at the moment, half of the Pack, or the newcomers who wanted to join the Pack, according to the conversation, were such oddities, and if she hadn't been so tired she might have tensed up and bristled. But she couldn't spare the energy. To think that exhaustion would keep her from losing face and betraying how nervous she was at the moment. Tilting her head, she didn't hide her amusement as the shadowed Absol - there was more than a tinge of shadow to her, an inky subtlety to her scent that was interesting to note - strolled over to the stump after effectively insulting everyone nearby. The Alakazam and Marowak were far more dour, serious enough for her to guess that they were veterans of the pits. Their stances were readied, watchful. A Gallade and a Ninetales, the latter almost familiar with the scent of a Fire-type, all ashes and the sting of flame. She was coloured oddly too, but in this mixed company it seemed to be almost the norm. Made sense that those experimented on would be the ones most likely to try to flee - and succeed. 

There were even more that she hadn't examined yet, but she so desperately wanted to lie down, and she could feel the ebb of energy as her wounds throbbed. This wouldn't do. "I wouldn't really call myself an insignificant nothing," she declared, voice seemingly relaxed and lazy - as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening - "But I suppose I'll watch the show for now too." And with that she walked slowly over to the stump, sprawling on the ground and feeling another surge of exhaustion hit. It would be so easy to fall asleep, but reflexes honed by so many fights kept her eyes from closing. She needed to be alert, even now. Especially now, surrounded by strangers.


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## ....

A purple gallade, a black absol, and a black ninetales.

Such peculiarities were normal to him; after all, he was pitted against many hybrids and discolored ones.

His paws glowed a very pale blue color. Leo swiftly gazed about and focused his gaze upon the absol. Something in the very back of his mind told him to stay away from her.

He then locked his eyes upon the stump. It seemed to have an aura of its own.

But that wasn't possible.

Shaking off the strange feeling, Leo wandered over to the stump, lips sealed this time.


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## Coloursfall

_thud*thud*thudthud._

The sound of rapid footfalls on the forest floor, one sounding different from the other three.  The owner of the feet was quite fast, the falls speeding up a bit as he neared the exit of the forest, the meadow. Leaping over logs and rocks, the golden Persian made sure the little Riolu he was carrying by the scruff was safe and secure, before leaping out into the grass.

He placed her down gently on the grass and stepped his front paws in front of her to shield her is need be. He looked at her for a moment, purring, and began surveying the group from afar. There were quite a lot of them there, he noted. So this was the group... 

He snorted, plopping down on the grass where he stood, a good few metres away from the rest, and keeping the little Riolu under his front legs.  His tail was swishing and his gold eyes seemed to shine in the night, as felines tended to do. 

"I've seen more organized groups of fleas in the pond after a bath," he snorted, mostly to himself, and then laughed a bit.  "I wonder how long it'll take for them to notice me?"

He pawed at the ground a bit, before looking down at the Riolu. 

"So how're you doing, kid...?"


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## Sylph

"Likely a vhile, Cat. They aren't the most observant pokemon around." Slurred a voice from a tree. Shifting his postion, the shadowed shape of a Lucario turns his pale blue eyes down at the cat below. He lets out a soft chuckle when he notes that he has found something on his trip. "And what did ve find now, Edvard? A child in vhich you are playing daddy too? How cute...now if only they knew your leetle veakness for children. No one vould take you seriously...though, I am the same vay vith kids."

The Lucario slips off the branch and lands next to him, sitting down and pulling his bag closer to his side. He glances down at the small pokemon in Ed's grasp and frowns a bit. "A Riolu? Vhere did you ever find her...she looks to be a baby too. Sure you know vhat you are doing?"

He then glances back up at the group before them, shaking his head and sighing a bit under his breath. "And there is Shelia it seem. Vonder vhat she's up too...hmm...there is other pokemon too....even a Arcanine is here-...is that blood I smell?". Halan shifts a bit, watching the Arcanine silently as she rests near a stump.


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## Zora of Termina

"I wouldn't trust Ed with a kid if my life depended on it." 

Sheila finally diverted her attention from newcomers now that she'd spotted those she was looking for. Trotting up to them and tilting Ed's chin up with a tail, she smirked. "I've been waiting for you two... oh, and what's this...?" the sight of the Riolu immediately caught her eye. "The poor dear..." She curled a tail around the child to keep her warm. An amputee, injured... lord only knows what other fates had befallen this poor little pup. And she looked a bit... familiar...

"Ed, I hope you know what you're doing, taking this one in..."


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## Arylett Charnoa

...Hm. 

The black Absol's scythe twitched, as she heard the far-off steps of a few... others coming on their way. Voices too... voices beyond Boneass and the Boring Insignificant Nothings... for a moment, her red eyes watched these on-comers communicate with one of those nothings... then she heard a nothing reply to her, an Arcanine.

...Nah. Besides, these on-comers looked far more interesting... this show was getting good, maybe... for now, she would keep her eye on them. After all, she wasn't one to jump into things too far. The Marowak looked like an easy target to pick at, but these guys... heh. She didn't quite like the feel of any of them, they gave her bad vibes, whoever they were. Usually those who spiced up the show did. But she'd rather watch this show than be a part of it.


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## Bluberry Bat

The small Riolu groaned and shifted around - she was used to being carted around, but everything was... different, this time. The ground was soft and damp, feelings she barely knew after so long in the cold, sterile labs. There was even more, though - there was talking, but it wasn't human language, there were more Pokémon. What was more, there were emotions - so many emotions. Not like the droll, emotionless humans, she could feel it all, if only faintly. Sadness, pain, anger, fear, waves like a tsunami to the shore.
She moaned and sobbed, her only natural response to so much input at once, when a fluffy, furred something wrapped around her. It was warm, and comfortable.. yet, she didn't know what it was, what any of it was - she latched onto the nearest vaguely familiar thing - the strong, muscular, furred legs of the one whom had carried her here, and began to sob, face buried away as she crumpled into a ball, nestled as close as she could, listening closely to the soft rumbling purr as her closest sign of comfort.


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## Anomaly 54

((ashfkasnfkajsnfaskn why didn't anyone tell mewe had a mirror server :( ))

Paza jumped and cleared the tree stump, and the pokémon around it, in a single, deft leap. "Hey hey, what up?" He smiled and tilted his head. Finally he found a (albiet awkward) position where the moonlight bounced off the coin on his head and shone in the direction of the Alakazam, who appeared to be the strongest. _Wait, there is that Gallade..._
Paza ignored it and mentally shrugged.


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## shadow_lugia

Nevra watched the mayhem below from a tree with curiosity.

_What are they doing? Why don't they let those people come with us?_

Soundlessly, she floated down from her tree, swooping up to the Alakazam and investigating him curiously. After that, she did the same to the Gallade.


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## Stormecho

More newcomers had arrived, and Basaina turned her head to watch them. One she thought she recognized - there couldn't be that many Persian with one metal leg, after all. She had _heard_ of the Golden Terror, but had never actually faced him. He had stopped fighting, and there had been rumours about his death or escape, but she had never really listened to what other pitfighters had murmured, too confident of her own strength to care about anyone weaker. There was that black Ninetales that she had noticed before, and a Lucario. Her ears laid back as she noticed the Riolu curled up against the Persian's legs, so small compared to the toughened Pokemon around it. 

"A pup?" she growled, disbelieving. It looked younger than she had been when she had first started fighting, and there was something strange in how it was curled up. Her wounds throbbed again as she shifted, and she curled up loosely instead, turning her head to absently lick her fur, one green eye kept on the odd group. Were they the core members of the Pack? Half of the Pokemon here seemed to be newcomers, most with the intention of joining.

And there was her, with no idea what to do or where to go. Pathetic, really.


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## Sylph

Halan glanced away from the Arcanine when Shelia appeared, a soft smile on his face as he watched her interact with Edward. He resisted the urge to chuckle at the obvious signs of affection, reaching out and lightly tugging her ear.

"Brat." he muttered softly, laughing a little under his breath. He looked back down at the pup, seeing her snuggle closer to the cat's leg for warmth. His heart started to break at the sight of the poor pup, reaching out and lightly stokes the Riolu's head. She seemed so familiar to him, something tugging inside of him. He shakes his head a bit and looked back at the Arcanine, noticing that she was watching them in return.

He lifts his paw and waves her over.


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## Black Yoshi

Xhan swang his legs back and forth, letting his feet dangle limply. He had been up this tree for quite some time, and though he had made no effort to hide himself, nobody seemed to have taken any notice to him.

There was the Marowak, the Absol... The Alakazam, the Quilava. All these Pokemon who were doing things, and here was this young Riolu, watching things unfold. He always liked to watch things. It was like he was listening to a story, one he didn't need to picture in his head.

One he could see with his own eyes. He smiled to himself. _Wonder what all this is about, anyway..._ He shrugged. _Maybe it's none of my business. Then again, I never really have cared much if it was my business or not._ But he did not drop from the tree. He simply remained there, occasionally fiddling with his scarf. _I'll just wait, watch, and when I'm hungry, I'll eat. When I'm tired, I'll sleep. And if I feel like buggering these people, then that's when I make an entrance._


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## River

Allum crept from the bushes and set himself down a metre or so to the right of the tree trunk before looking about the clearing, so many pokemon all affected by the humans. An Absol sat near by as did an Arcanine. A Marowak, Gallade and Alakasam stood near the middle and three other pokemon at the other end of the clearing. _Perhaps there will be conflicts later on, nothing to be done for it._ He realised he was straining himself so he began the process of returning from being a Lefeon. The leaves on his body shifted back to being fur and his mane slowly grew back. Finally his tail resumed its brushy appearence. 
"I take it I'm in the right place? Or is this a different gathering of experiment-altered pokemon?"


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## Stormecho

Basaina blinked as the Lucario gestured in her direction. So the group wanted to speak to her? She began to stand with some difficulty, trying to fake laziness rather than the comination of pain and fatigue that forced her to control her movements. Revealing just how wounded she was would have been useless - these were escapees, but they had still been in the pits, and would surely leap on any sign of weakness. After all, it was what she would have done to someone that could be a threat.

...The battered Riolu didn't count - it was too young to be a threat. Or at least that was what she reassured herself, fur bristling as an Eevee suddenly strolled in. His scent was wrong, despite his normal appearance - too many elements in it for a plain Eevee. She sneezed and stared at him, rolling her eyes as she found a way to delay walking. "Oh no, we're all just sitting here waiting for humans to recapture us. You're in the wrong place, sorry," she retorted, eyes narrowing. And with that, she attempted to saunter towards the Lucario, growling softly as one leg twinged in pain.

The growl shot up in volume as it nearly buckled, and she was far more careful in crossing the remaining distance, fur on end and the good humour in her eyes fading away to show the usual suspicion.


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## Cloudsong

((sorry I'm late, the server wouldn't let me on and I didn't know 'bout this one))

EDIT: ((I was post ninja'd cuz I had to go afk, I'll fix this. Sorry.))

EDIT2: ((fixed))

Flyte ran as fast as he could through the forest, his breath coming in gasps. He was exhausted, near collapse, but he knew the pack was supposed to be around here somewhere so he just focused on putting one small white paw in front of the other. He leapt over a fallen log and stopped to catch his breath, panting. 

"Aww, c'mon guys...where are you?!?!" He exclaimed softly to himself, looking about for any signs of the legendary pack. Flyte sighed and took off again. He almost began to wonder how he got here...almost began to remember, but he shut it out with a mental _NO!!!_. He didn't want to remember that place...he looked up and gasped in surprise, using a quick attack to dart around a tree at invisible speed. He needed to be more careful. What if that hadn't been a tree he had almost hit, but a human poacher? He mentally reproached himself. He needed to pay attention. 

"Wha-? Whoa!" _Thud!_ Too busy reminding himself to pay attention and not actually paying attention, he had stepped in a hole and faceplanted in the dirt. He sat up groggily and spat out some earth. Flyte fluffed out his wings to get any dirt off and turned to see what he had tripped on. His eyes widened as he stared at the footprint. It looked like an arcanine's...and was there a drop of crimson in it? He couldn't tell for sure.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, thrilled. This _had_ to lead to the pack. He used quick attack after quick attack, racing as fast he possibly could, following the tracks. With his head down, watching the tracks, being careful not to trip in them again, he obviously wasn't watching where he was going. Again. He heard the murmur of voices in the distance and excitement grew in him at almost being there. 

Without warning, he slammed into something and bounced backwards, the collision throwing him to the ground on his back, one wing obscuring his face. He peeked out from under the white feathers and looked up hesitantly, fear in his face. He saw a large tree stump before him, with many other pokemon gathered around. All of them looking powerful and strange. A huge arcanine was walking away, and Flyte felt a sharp twinge in his gut. This pokemon was injured..they all were, in some way or another. Some just some bruises and scrapes, others more severely. Flyte let out a soft whimper. He hoped they wouldn't hurt him...he was tired of fighting..


----------



## Mai

Smile popped in, making a beautiful glittery spectacle through the group.

"Hello everybody!"

Smile looked really tired, and she was. It took an hour to channel metronome to get teleport. But she was still happy. After all, she had found her friends! Or soon to be friends anyway.

Other people looked tired too. There was this winged eevee that looked _exhausted._ _He looks like he needs a friend..._

There was a mean looking marowak that had too many bones sticking out. _Why does he have spikes? That makes him look scary. But I don't judge people. He's probably nice._

A black absol was there. She looked nice, but kind of negative. _I'm sure I'll cheer her up soon!_

There was a black ninetales there too. Everyone seemed to be menacing in one way or another. _She looks funny! I'm going to make friends with her!_

Smile flew over to the ninetales ecstaticly.

"Hi, ninetales person! My name's Smile!"


----------



## ....

Leo snickered a bit at the Togetic.

"Smile? What kinda name is that?" he wondered out loud. He covered his mouth with one of his paws and grinned slightly.

He couldn't help himself. Come on, a Togetic who looked tired and was probably as idiotic as he was for an entrance.


----------



## Mai

"The name my mom gave me! She's nice... I wish she could control metronome! Then she could teleport like me! Plus, you know, smiling is important! I _love _my name!"

Smile turned back to the black ninetales and -surprise!-smiled. The quilava was funny, but kind of weird. Smile is a name! It was her name! Names just are, the are no types of names.

"What's your name?"

She wondered if the black fire-type had a cool name like hers too.


----------



## Zora of Termina

Sheila turned her head, making a sort of half-annoyed face then blinking in confusion upon laying eyes on the Togetic.

"Uh... hi there. Name's Sheila..." she tilted her head. This was an  interesting development. This kid looked new... she'd never seen a  sparkling Togetic before. Even shinies didn't glitter that much. She did  find it a bit hard to be annoyed at the kid... wasn't there a myth that  you could never stay mad around one of these things?

And now there was that Quilava. _Aaaaaallrighty then..._

Although mostly she was just worried about the pup that was now...  clinging to Ed, so she turned her head to see now. Well, this was an  interesting development. Usually the little ones she minded appreciated  it when she did that...

"That poor dear must've been through a lot, I've never seen anything so small so scared when I do that..."


----------



## Cloudsong

What....? Flyte blinked in surprise as, in a shower of glittering light, a togetic appeared out of thin air. He tilted his head to the side and watched the over-exuberant pokemon flitter around, smiling and being rather cheerful for a pokemon that tired looking. He thought he heard it say it's name was 'smile'..Flyte rolled back to his feet from where he had fallen after running into the stump, and flicked his wings out of his face. Standing, he walked around the stump and watched the togetic curiously. He noticed other pokemon as well, a black ninetales, a persian with a metal limb, the arcanine, a quilava, a black absol, even another eevee! He wasn't really fazed by all the exotic looking pokemon, being in the pits kinda got you used to it. Though some things did catch his eye, that were a little more exotic than usual. The helmet on the arcanine, the bones on the marowak, the metal limb on the persian. Things that weren't...natural.

Flyte walked a little ways out from the stump and lied down, resting his chin on his paws, softly nibbling the leather cords around his front paws, eyes taking it all in. They weren't that bad. Maybe he could even help them...after all, he was a healer, was he not? A small smile flickered across his face, but almost instantly disappeared. He almost forgot the number one rule. Never show weakness. Kindness was a weakness. He continued to rest and watch, this time with an impassive face.


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward pressed his ears back when he saw the Lucario, and bared his teeth at him, pulling his flesh-and-blood arm closer around Ammy. Damn mutt...what was he doing here? The feline lowered his head and shoulders, as if he was sheilding Ammy from him.

"Shut up, muttbreath. None of your business," he growled, but his ears perked back up when Sheila was mentioned.

His posture improved quite a bit at the vixen's approach, and if it weren't for the fur all over him, one would be able to tell he was blushing.  He fidgeted a bit when she lifted his chin, gold eyes locked on her.

"Hey, I'm great with kids...I have brothers."

Then his ear twitched and he looked down at Ammy, worried by her sobbing. He leaned down to nuzzle gently at her, purring softly, something very odd for him.

"Hey come on kid, you're okay...I'm here, lil' fluffy one..." He cooed, licking at her fur gently with his rough tongue.


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza smiled at the new addition, a Togetic called Smile, and some eevee with wings.
"Hi there!" He waved and turned to the Marrowak. "Hey, mister, where do I sign up? I am not going back to the pits. You better not make me go back!"


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte smiled back at the friendly Meowth. It was nice to see _some_ of the pokemon here didn't look like they wanted him dead. He was starting to worry that this place was no different than the pits, just without humans. He heard the Meowth call out to the Marowak:

_"Hey, mister, where do I sign up? I am not going back to the pits. You better not make me go back!" _ and waited for the reply. To be honest, Flyte was also curious about this...not that he'd mention it. He still wasn't sure quite what to make of this whole group. And all of their collective injuries were starting to give him a nagging headache. If only they'd stop waiting around and just get to the deciding part. Then, maybe, if he was accepted into the group, he could alleviate some of their pain. And then....then he would take a nice, _long_ nap. 

All that running and quick attacking wore him out. Not to mention how much energy it'd take to heal this many pokemon at once. But oh well. He'd be absolutely useless for a while afterward, but everyone else would be feeling chipper. Maybe that absol would even cheer up a bit and not be looking so grim. Flyte smiled at the thought. Besides, that's what friends were for, helping each other out.


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan sighed. All this stuff was happening, and here he was in a tree. _Screw it, I'm done sitting here._ And he dropped out of the tree, landing on the ground with little more than a small rustle of grass. He looked around at the other Pokemon. He saw the Togetic introduce herself as... 'Smile,' apparently, and Eevee faceplant. 

The best choice at this point was to make conversation, and 'Smile' seemed to be the most willing. "Smile? That's different. But, whatever you like. At least you can say there aren't many others with your name." 

He wakled a bit closer to the Togetic and the Ninetails she had been talking to. "And you said you were 'Sheila,' right? I bet you'd be creepy on a cloudy night. Just yellow eyes stickin' outta' the bushes. Yup. Definetly ominous." Xhan loved jumping into conversations uninvited. If that didn't irritate people, then changing the subject randomly usually did. 

"So, what's your favorite color? What about your favorite season? I like winter, do you like winter Sheila? What's your favorite food, Smile? _Don't eat the yellow snow!_" Ah, the simple joys of randomness.


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate

Hoss looked around and then down, finding a bedraggled-looking meowth. A shower of transparent coins filled the edges of his vision as he noticed the kitten pokémon. Hoss was always astounded by the lack of fear many young pokémon showed him. It was refreshing, but rather odd considering that he was covered in the remains of past battles, which many found morbid for some reason.
_
Hey, mister, where do I sign up? I am not going back to the pits. You better not make me go back!_

Now why would I do that? Hoss asked himself, glaring at the cat. No one deserves the pits, that's basically why there are so many of us who left.

"Go. Stand by that stump with all of the others," Hoss grunted, pointing again. "And try not to offend anyone," he added as an afterthought.

Hoss trudged off towards the actual members of the group, nodding at Sheila. She was currently being accosted by a riolu. Speaking of which, Hoss glaring curiously at the bundle of loud, wet, purple fur that was clutching Edward. And Edward was purring more loudly than normal, mostly since the Persian never purred. Hoss's eyes were soon drawn to a sparkling togetic, and a blossom of joy formed like an island in the sea of gruffness that here represents his mind. Weird.

"Where'd you pick up the little one, Edward?" the marowak rumbled, a tone of mild surprise forcing its way through.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

((Holy. Crap. I'm gone for one whole day, and I miss so much... good thing that there was nothing too plot changing, or that's what I could tell))

Frollo had watched all of these newcomers with a bit of bemusement. There was nothing unanimous he could say of any of these others; some of them, such as the Lucario, looked like worthy opponents, while others (namely, that Togetic that all but crash-landed into the group) looked less than worthy of Frollo's time, much less their own life.

_This will be... interesting,_ he thought, shaping a spoon into a mace out of boredom, then changing it back, _I need to learn more about these "allies."_

And then there was that Persian.

He had heard of the Golden Terror - who hadn't in the battling pits - but he himself had never crossed attacks with the Persian; by the time his fame had gone on the rise, Frollo's trainers had started to see him as what they called "crazy."

_To be able to fight alongside of this "legend" will be yet another experience; I can see myself if this one is worthy... though the presence of that child is going to severely hurt his chances._

His gaze passed around all of the other members of these team, only stopping when someone reflected light into his face: this happened to come from a Meowth that not soon after went and began to harass the Marowak.

_No... not yet. He will be one of the first to be judged, though. This group, whatever its purpose, will not have time for anyone who is not completely devoted to achieving its goal._

It was then that his gaze settled on the Banette that was examining him as if he were a specimen in a museum..

"Do you require anything, ghost? This group will likely have much to deal with, so if you have any sort of questions you have to ask me, ask them now before you-"

It then floated away before he could finish.

"-cease to exist."

_Another one that I'll have to keep a close eye on.  It seems that at least one of ours will be judged to be unworthy by the time our first battles are done._

With that, the Alakazam closed his eyes, and listened in on the conversation that might soon start between the Marowak and the Persian. He, too, was wondering where a fighter of the Persian's status could have obtained a young Riolu.


----------



## Mai

A riolu jumped out of a tree suddenly, and Smile let out a shrill, but small shriek. She quieted herself when she saw him.

_That was scary! Okay. He's fine..._

"Smile? That's different. But, whatever you like. At least you can say there aren't many others with your name." 

"Yeah, I know, it's great! I like being unique!" Smile said happily, completely forgeting her screech.

The riolu approached them. "And you said you were 'Sheila,' right? I bet you'd be creepy on a cloudy night. Just yellow eyes stickin' outta' the bushes. Yup. Definetly ominous."

"What are you talking about?" Smile defended, positively. "Shiela's never scary! She's nice!"

The riolu continued. "So, what's your favorite color? What about your favorite season? I like winter, do you like winter Sheila? What's your favorite food, Smile? Don't eat the yellow snow!"

Smile grinned, then started on, unaware of the subject change. "Well, I like flower pink, and spring green, and sea blue, and everything really. I love the spring, but I haven't been aboveground much. All I remember is it being cold, and a lot of snow. And my favorite food? Well, I like pecha berries, and watmel berries, and nomel, and sitrus. I like a lot! But I've never eaten snow before.When I see snow, it's usually being shot at me during a battle, so I don't have time to eat it. But thanks for the advice!" The togetic took a much needed breath, ten looked at the riolu cheerfully.

_We're going to be great friends!_

"We're going to be great friends! You're fun!"


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan looked at the Togetic. _Hmmm.... She's a tough nut to crack. She answered every question... Most people just try to make me go away..._ He just smiled. He loved a good challenge. The word 'friends' caught his ear, and he looked at her again. He once had a friend. The crap they had pulled on some people had been absolutely priceless. But this was different.

"Well, sure, why not!" He grinned again. "I suppose if we're gonna' be friends, introductions should be made. I'm Xhan. Northcut, that is. I already know your name. Do you know _why_ you shouldn't eat the yellow snow?" Xhan asked. In all honesty, he had no idea, and he was hoping she did. He had just heard somebody say it once, and thought it was funny. Hopefully, she'd know, because if she asked him if he knew, he'd have to make something up. He was never good at making up stories off the bat.


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte, mildly surprised, watched a Riolu jump out of a tree and begin chatting with the black Ninetales and the sparkling Togetic. He tilted his head to the side and listened in, covering his mouth with his paw, trying not to laugh at what he heard.

_"Smile? That's different. But, whatever you like. At least you can say there aren't many others with your name." 
"And you said you were 'Sheila,' right? I bet you'd be creepy on a cloudy night. Just yellow eyes stickin' outta' the bushes. Yup. Definetly ominous."
"So, what's your favorite color? What about your favorite season? I like winter, do you like winter Sheila? What's your favorite food, Smile? Don't eat the yellow snow!"_

But by the end of this, Flyte's shoulders were shaking with contained laughter. While he was quite obviously amused by the randomness of the Riolu, he did happen to catch some info that was nice to know. The Ninetails is known as Sheila and the Togetic really _was_ named Smile. He watched the hulking Marowak walk over to the Persian and Ninetails and began to speak, but he didn't quite catch what was said. However, it seemed to regard a small, shaking, bundle of fur that was latched onto the Persian. A wave of pain rolled over Flyte as he focused in on it and he let out a small moan. That one was injured as well, both physically and emotionally.

He let go of the pain and turned his attention elsewhere for the time being. The Alakazam seemed quite relaxed, with his eyes closed. Flyte wondered if he was one of the friendlier pokemon here..

He turned and looked back at the treestump. There was a slightly crazy looking Quilava near it, along with a calm Erufuun and that grim absol. Flyte sighed...his headache was getting worse..


----------



## Mai

The togetic looked at Xhan, and then donned a quizzical look, considering what it might mean. 

_Yellow might mean electric?_

"It's probably electricized snow. Maybe it'll zap you if you eat it?" Smile questioned, unsure.

Smile felt like doing something. Mostly beating her wings and practicing metronome. After all, there wasn't much she did other than that and battling back home, though she did talk to her friends.

"Hey, I'm going to stretch my wings a bit, okay?" 

The normal-flying type took off, glittery joy dust floating down towards Xhan in particular, but more fell off later, heading to the other members of the group. It was an almost constant cycle, as the down regenerated quickly, but there was still an amount of time before a significant amount fell.

"Sorry guys!" She called out, then flew a few feet away to do some absentminded flips. 

In a few minutes she landed and hovered back towards the group, though still keeping her distance. 

"I'm gonna metronome practice, okay?"

Smile concentrated on _ice_. The snow talk had made her curious. She waggled her finger and shards of ice shot out, piercing the ground.

"Aw, sorry guys, I didn't make snow. I'll try to make it soon."

"Snow, ice, snow snow!" She mumbled, and she let out a burning flamethrower from her mouth.

She tried once more, but this time she spouted water from her head. That was just weird.

"I give up..." She mumbled. Were there even any moves that _used_ snow?

She went back to the group, but had brought her shards of ice.

"Sorry, Xhan. I couldn't make snow. But I used ice shard!" Smile was proud of herself anyway. Ice shard was ice type.

She glanced over at a winged eevee. He looked kind of sad.

_Maybe I should cheer him up!_


----------



## Zora of Termina

A smile flashed across the Ninetales' face as Ed suddenly straightened up at mention of her name. Maybe he was inter... no, no. He's more interested in fighting, she thought to herself.

...And now another Riolu, this time older and... more annoying had come over to them. Joy sparkles or not, Sheila gave a very annoyed glance toward Ed, as if to somehow tell him telepathically to get rid of them in a violent manner. She didn't like being asked so many questions.

She was getting more annoyed by the second as she opened her mouth to speak and the Togetic answered_ for _her. _Hah. How would that thing know I'm always nice? Just because I would rather stay away from battles..._ 

And just how were these Pokemon so happy when they all knew the horrors of the pits?

Sheila just threw Ed another "please kill them" glare.


----------



## Coloursfall

Ewards looked up from Ammy when he heard some...very annoying voices. He focused first on the Marowak...what did he want? The feline frowned, looked down at Ammy again, then around at the little gathering. Huh. There were...a lot of others around now. That was fast.

"Found her," he monotoned, turning his attention to Sheila quickly.

She looked pretty annoyed now...must have something to do with the...sparkley Togetic thing floating around. He hated Togetic. And sparkles. And annoying overly happy things. Especially ones that bugged Sheila.  

He bared his teeth at the flying type, watching Smile try and do...something with snow, or something.  He'd show this flying ball of glitter snow, then. He opened his mouth wide and sucked in a deep breath, a mist slowly forming around his jaws. Then, he blew the breath out, and it came out as a rush of polar air, snow, and chunks of ice. The full brunt of the Icy Wind was directed at the offending Togetic.

"Screw off, runt.  Sheila doesn't want annoying balls of stupid like _you_ around, got it?" He growled when he stopped blowing ice.


----------



## see ya

Pali sat, listening. Things were moving very fast and she was having a bit of a hard time keeping up. She tried to keep quiet, simply keeping her ears open for anything that would be useful towards their escape/

She squeaked a little as a strong breeze lifted her feet off the ground. She drifted for a little bit, only about two feet in the air, worrying that she was going to drift away from the group. However, she eventually landed right next to an oddly black Ninetales. Rather unlike herself, Pali got a bit nervous. She felt she had seem her before, maybe even was in the ring against her. She shivered, remembering what it was like to be engulfed in flames...

"Hi there..." she said, her nerves not changing her normal, slow tone. "I hope I'm not bothering you... Do you mind if maybe I sit here? I guess it doesn't matter... we're all in this together...right...?"

She followed the Ninetales gaze to the Persian and her heavy-lidded eyes widened a little. It really was him, that one she heard had never lost a single battle. She'd seen him a few times, and frankly he was terrifying down there. No...she didn't want to think about that. no more battles, no more fighting. Just this peaceful night. He wasn't out to get her now... not that she knew of, at least.

"But if you want me to go... I will... doesn't matter to me..."


----------



## Black Yoshi

"Show off..." Xhan mumbled as the Togetic flew in cirles. Yet he couldn't help but smile a little. When she tried to make snow, he stood there, only a little embarassed for her. _Does she even know about Metronome? I always thought it was random effects..._ When the Persian blew an Icy Wind at her, he looked back at him, a bit irritated. Smile was ignorant, and Xhan could take a lot of annoyance without complaint, but he got just a bit upset by problem-solving skills of this type.

"How _very_ rude." He glared at the Persian, hoping to Arceus that the cat didn't turn on him. He could run fast, but running from a feline was always iffy. "You need to work on your social skills, good sir. Can I just say, you have no reason to try to freeze people to friggin' death? Besides, if you thought she was annoying, you ain't seen nothin' yet."


----------



## Mai

Smile flew up suddenly, trying to miss the ice. She succeded mostly, but a big chunk of snow hit her in the face. It felt refreshing. The flying type moved the snow off her face and then gathered up the rest of it.

"Thank you! Now we can use this snow!" She cheered.

She turned to Xhan he ranted angrily to the persian, rambling on about his social skills. _He just wanted to help, I'm sure._ "Oh, it's fine, Xhan. It's actually helpful! It takes a while for me to manipulate metronome. It might've taken me half an hour to get enough snow to use, and the persian just speeded it up considerably!" The togetic joyously commented. "Thanks much, and what's your name?" She asked innocently.

"Now, we were using this snow to... test it electricly, right? Should I thunderwave it? Or can we make a snowman instead?"

Smile quickly shaped about half of the snow into a ball. 

"We can do a lot of things with snow!" She said.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo was a little less than surprised at the Persian's short answer to what could have been a very thorough question.

_Well, I suppose that this Persian and I have a lot more in common than I first thought. Typical, really; the best fighters must all have that in common._

At this, the one called Xhan started to tell off the Persian for blasting the Togetic with Icy Wind. Frollo's eyes narrowed, and the Alakazam floated forward, until he was right behind the Riolu.

"Boy, I would advise that you tread carefully when dealing with a pokemon such as this. I don't know what sort of battle experience you've had, but I can tell yo this: you look like the sort of enemy that would fall pretty quickly to the more seasoned of pit fighters, among which include myself, and this Persian. It is for such a reason that I would advise you against trying to deliberately annoy them."

_After all, nobody on this team can be killed until I've seen how worthy they really are._


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward stared blankly at Xhan and Smile, his mouth hanging open a little. He didn't believe this...what the hell...? He'd never seen such annoying pups in his life, the little ones back home knew better than that... He growled and snapped his mouth shut, made an aggravated growling, and sighed.

"Look, runt, I don't care what you think. I can be 'rude' if I like, I've killed more Pokemon than you could probably imagine, so bugger off."

He grinned when Frollo made his little speech, nodding happily. Finally, someone who knew what he meant! He'd probably be liking this old bastard.  He then turned his gaze back at Smile. Now then, to get back at this ball of stupid... Without a word, Edward let his forehead gem glimmer, then let off the Thunderbolt at the flying type with a purring laugh.


----------



## Sylph

Halan lifts up a paw and baps Edward on the head, a annoyed breath leaving him as he gave the cat a tired glare. "Edvard, that vas not needed and you know better. Stop being a bastard or I'll have to rethink you taking care of a child...more so a Riolu."

Halan then gives the flying type a slightly-sorry glance, then waves them away in a 'please go away before he tries that again' way. He then looks down at the second Riolu and rolled his eyes. He quickly grabs at the Riolu and moved him from Ed's reach, giving the cat a warning glance.

Then he noticed that the Arcanine had come over. He gives her a slight smile and gets to his feet, pulling the bag from his side and roots through it. "You are bleeding. Can't have that." He muttered, pulling out cloth and disinfected.


----------



## Zora of Termina

Ed... stood up for her? 

While he didn't look, Sheila smiled a bit at the gesture. That asshole cat had a heart in there... somewhere. She turned to the blue ball of fur clinging to his flesh paw. She nudged her with her snout. "Hey pup... you can trust me. Come on, don't be scared... we're not going to hurt you. Come on... I want to help."

The poor child was so _young_... and so scared. Sheila wouldn't have that. She knew she wouldn't easily be able to pry her away from Ed, the one having brought her here, but maybe she could at least get her to open up and stop being so frightened.

Oh...? Now there was another voice. She looked around and spotted a... cotton thing. It looked fluffy.

"Well I don't mind, if you're not going to be like those two."


----------



## see ya

Pali smiled up at Sheila, happy at the acceptance. 

"No... I don't think I will... I'm not really one for getting into fights... I'd really just rather we all just get along, y'know...? Give peace a chance, maybe..."

Pali turned her gaze over to the others around, and noticed a tiny, frightened Riolu clutching tightly to the leg of the one she heard called "The Golden Terror." Her first thought was to try to help comfort the child, but after seeing the Persian's reactions to those who came near the little one... Pali was understandably hesitant. 

"Please don't be sad..." Pali said to the Riolu, though her lack of focus almost made it seem like a general statement to everyone. "We're free now... just night sky above us... nice breezes around... we'll be okay... and you're also one of "we" I guess... so don't worry...."


----------



## Mai

The persian shot lightning at Smile, giving her quite a jolt. It gave obvious damage, but her happiness helped move away the pain.

"Ouch!" She grumbled. Some of her down had fell off, and the more of it she shed, the more she could feel the pain, but that was fine. The snow was untouched, and that was good. She used wish. That would help eventually. She picked up some of her sparkles and arranged them on the snow, making it look great. Once she had gotten it perfect and looked up, a lucario was urging her to leave. She waved and rolled her snow away.

_Oh well. I'll have to start over._

Her glowing, sparkly aura had already started reforming, though it was going slowly. A star twinkled brightly through the night over her head and she was healed. The wish had passed. 

_Maybe I should heal that arcanine?_

After all, she had the power, why not use it? She waved and tried to get the lucario's attention, the one that had asked her to leave. She pointed to the stars and said:

"Wish. Do you want help?"

She said it slowly and almost silently, but carefully. She should be heard. 

She paid no attention to her snow.


----------



## Sylph

Halan glances over his shoulder at the small pup in Ed's grasp, the sense of familiarity still nagging at him. His gaze grow more worried as the small Riolu shivers against Ed's limb, scared of what was around her and in obvious pain.

"Bednyĭ malenʹkiĭ ... YA nadyeyusʹ, chto ona uspokoit·sya v blizhaĭshyee vremya." He mutters, shaking his head and turning back to the Arcanine. He glanced over to the flying type and maintained his usual cold blank expression. She looked to want to help heal the Arcanine, which was a nice thing to do, but he wasn't sure the Arcanine wanted to be healed yet.

"You should heal yourself...and please, do play vith some of the younger ones. They may find your charm more velcoming. I have this covered, so don't vorry."


----------



## Mai

Smile nodded. Playing did sound kind of fun, and her sparkles were returning. She flew over to a curious-looking bannette. 

_Maybe she'll want to play?_

"Hello. How's it going? Do you want to play a game? We have snow," The  togegic motioned, gesturing to the pile of snow, which had not melted. 

She didn't really know what to play or do, but it did sound fun.

_Maybe hide and go seek, or building a snowman... or... something fun!_

She was feeling less sensible and more silly the more her joy dust returned. Was it affecting her in some way?


----------



## Bluberry Bat

Ammy didn't move from her spot of comfort, crumpled into the arm of her rescuer. She could hear, and feel, those around her. Some referred to her, some didn't - emotions flew around like the winds of a raging storm. Happiness, sadness, annoyance, anger. She didn't respond to it, doing her best to just focus on the rumbling purr. It was difficult, though - so much input, she was not used to. Was this another test? They were always so.. simple. so quiet. All she had to do was be still.
She heard bangs and whooshes, classic sounds of battle. She had heard it from the arenas, but this time, they were close. Was she in the arena? Was she about to be eaten? Used as a chew toy? She crumbled more, sobbing a bit louder - she knew nothing of the battles, only hearsay.
But her ears perked. In between all the speech she could barely make out, something a bit more... familiar. Her head lifted slightly, though neck still craned downwards so that she might take cover once again quickly. She sniffled and warbled, slowly turning her head to the direction she had heard, eyes still squeezed shut and ears surveying back and forth.
"S-Shto?... k- kto tam? g- gde ya?..."


----------



## Sylph

Halan's head snaps up, then looks over his shoulder at the small pup in Ed's arms. He stares at her for a few moments, then opens his maw "Vy ponimaete ... Rossiya, malyshka?". He places the items back into his bag, muttering to the Arcanine that he'd be right back to tend to her wounds, and crossed back to the pup. He kneels down and looks at her closer, his eyes taking on a soft blue glow.

"...vhat...this aura...and her smell. This can't be just a something unrelated to one another...Eto slishkom stranno..."

He closes his eyes and tries to figure out what this could all mean, the only answer he could get was too far-fetched for him to accept. 
_
There is no way this child could be mine...I watched that Lucario flee after we...but this smell..._

"...she could be..."


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

(...Holy Carkbagels. Geez! That's a lot... I was gonna go to sleep now, but I think I should post before... I get REALLY off-track with this.)

So the on-comers had come. And now several more annoyances had been added. The show was getting _interesting_. 

_Great._ The black Absol rolled her eyes a bit. She didn't really like the look of that annoying Togetic. So much light and glitter and... _happiness_. Ugh. Even the name was the opposite of everything she embodied. Smile? Smiles weren't worth a crap unless they were a sarcastic smirk. But perhaps... she grinned a bit evilly... she could break that spirit. Her red eyes glimmered maliciously. Breaking happiness was her favourite thing to do. 

The Riolu was a pest not worthy of her time, exchanging insignificances with the annoying Sprinkles. The Persian was a jackass, but he sure did put on a good show. At least he stopped that stupid Togetic, although before she could... that attack of his looked strong.  But she noted with interest the small bundle of fur he carried and coddled... a weak spot. And then... Sheila... hmm... seemed to be that black Ninetales. Another weak spot. Some weak spots that would invite her surely to death... that metallic arm of that Persian's certainly wasn't for show. He was... ah... she remembered now why she felt this bad vibe... the Golden Terror... she knew of him. He'd always talk about him... how he was superior to her in every way... a shining example she'd have to emulate.

She glared resentfully at the Golden Terror, her eyes shining with pure anger for a moment. Then she thought of the blood...

Later, she'd deal with him later. Leave him be for now... strike when he's weak.

The rest weren't really worthy of her attention. That Lucario was a bit intimidating, but, nothing really to target yet. No obvious weaknesses. 

For now, the Togetic. She had even managed to shrug off the Persian's hostility... damn, no fight. And then Claude Spoono's didn't work. Now she was going to heal the Arcanine... let's see what the Horrid Queen can do though.

"Well, well, _well_! This show was good at first, and then Sprinkles over here showed up. Hey Sprinkles, I don't know if you know this, but, you're really annoying!" And the Absol imitated Smile's happy tone cruelly, smiling sardonically at her. "Lemme see if I can tell you the truth, although you might be too stupid to handle it. So I'll just be blunt._Nobody_ likes you and that Persian was trying to _get rid of you_. We all think you're some annoying stupid little weak pest, and to be honest, that's probably true. Smiles can only last so long, your happiness is nothing more than fake. So stop pretending to hide some big trauma you got from the pits, probably your human thinking you were too worthless and happy to fight and then dumping you."

And then she stopped and smiled at Smile mockingly to see the impact of her words.


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza nodded, sat down by the stump and fell into a deep sleep.

((Short post is short, but I don't really have much to add until the plot gets rolling))


----------



## Bluberry Bat

Ammy paused, listening intently now, an almost familiar voice doing numbers to mitigate her fear of the situation.
"Oni skazali... chto ya govoryu na yazyke moyeĭ materi... y- ya strannaya?.." As she said this, her head sunk down again slightly - the mention of strangeness struck a certain chord with her. In the lab, it was like a second code name. Apparently, she was part of a set of 'freaks', talked down upon constantly. Of course, there were never answers as to why, it just was.
"Pozhaluĭsta... gde ya..?" She was sure how to ask such things, but this was the first time there had been a response at all.


----------



## Black Yoshi

In response to Frollo, Xhan stuck his tongue out, and made a couple baby-like imitations of Frollo's speech. He was already standing up, prepared to run. _Pleasepleaseplease, dear Arceus, let these guys just say, 'buzz off,' and let me live._ "Yeah, I know you've killed a lot. But guess what? I don't care. We're not in the pits anymore, Goldy. 'Kay? We're out, right?"

At this point, Xhan figured he could die at any second. But he couldn't help but grin. _I can already say I officially got to three of them! Ha!_


----------



## Stormecho

((Ye gods, guys, give me a chance to post a response, eh? x3))

Basaina snorted. "I'll be fine," she retorted, though she... clearly wasn't. Nevertheless, she turned her head to the side, acknowledging that having someone look at the sluggishly bleeding wounds was rather important. Hopefully, if he noticed the weals from the whip, he wouldn't comment. But of course, he started saying something, and the battered Riolu responded and he... went off to examine her. She watched, interested, for a few moments, before directing her attention to the Golden Terror. "So are you the leader of this little pack? Or are all of you?" And she jerked her head towards Halan and Sheila. "You're all veterans, after all." She had never faced any of them, but she had certainly heard of them - and as the Wildfire, they might have heard of her. 

Her gaze darted to the Alakazam for a moment. All her senses and instincts told her that he was dangerous, but then, a good portion of the pack fit in that category. She would have to keep an eye on everyone here... except maybe the Riolu making a fool of itself and the Togetic that had suddenly wanted to heal her. Some of the newcomers were childish, and she doubted they had been honed by the pits - more like broken by it, or had left too early for even that. The pack seemed like an odd mix of the innocent and the murderers, though she knew well where she would have fit.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo was half-tempted to switch his spoons to daggers and end the Riolu's existence then and there.

But then, common sense kicked in. Killing the Riolu now would certainly do no good for his reputation in this group (except maybe the Persian, but Frollo saw him more as a wild card at this early stage,) and though he wasn't trying to make any friends in the group, the Alakazam felt a bit of an... obligation, to go along, if only to see how worthy all of these pokemon really were.

Instead he simply said, "We may not be in the pits anymore, boy, but the law of survival will no doubt still apply; perhaps even more so, now that we are out of what can at best be called our homes, and we are now cast into the entire world. You do not want to make yourself seem as though you are... incapable of surviving whatever we might face in the world. Push this Persian, or myself, much further, and you will soon become incapable. _Very_ incapable."

With that, he floated away, passing by a Lucario that had been eying the Riolu that the Golden Terror called "his child" with interest... or was it fear?

Frollo could not tell.


----------



## ....

Leo smirked.

The absol's mockery was _wonderful_. Just the thing he needed to cheer him up.

"So guys, are we allowed in yet or what? I wanna go break into a pit already," Leo said awfully loudly.


----------



## Mai

Smile looked at the black absol confusedly. 

_What is she talking about? There's no one here named Sprinkle..._

"What are you talking about? There's no one here named Sprinkle... Do you mean me?" She asked quizzically. "I'm friends with Xhan! He's fun! And the persian was just helping us with snow. That was nice! Plus, I'm always happy! See, I have joy dust! Togetic make it... somehow," Smile shrugged, then continued. "And it makes people happy! Look how happy I am!" 

The normal-flying type ended with a nice look, and then went back to play with the banette.

_She's silly! I mean, I'm always happy! And the people here are nice... I think._

_Yeah, they're fine..._


----------



## Black Yoshi

"Yeah, and I think the rules of survival basically say, don't attack a potential ally."  Xhan pointed out. _Hope he doesn't call me on that. I'm not much use, so... Me as an ally isn't all that wonderful._ But he put on a smile regardless. "Verbal abuse is fine, of course. They're just stupid words, for stupid people, myself included. I think it's all fine as long as we don't try to make each other bleed... Unless you trip on a root and faceplant and your nose starts bleeding..." Xhan stared at his nose, the memory coming back to him. "Then again, that was my fault." He said to himself.


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

She sighed in exasperation. So this WOULD be a tough one to crack... a challenge. How could someone be _SO DAMN HAPPY_? She didn't understand. Especially when life in the pits had made many of them awful... 

One more try.

"Sprinkle, that's _YOU_. Smile or whatever awful fake happy name you've been given. I guess I was right though; you _ARE_ too dense to hear anything negative. I mean, at least Boneass here gives a better show when I insult him." The Absol shook her head and then looked at Boneass a bit, then back to Sprinkleface. "You really need to wise up; or you're gonna get... killed... I wouldn't do it because I'm _such a nice girl_, but Persian over here would have a riot on you.  Although, that'd make a good show... so okay! Continue being annoying! I can't wait to watch." And with that, she continued her mocking happy tone and strolled away from the Togetic. For now, that was the best she could do. A steady stream of insults might break this disgusting impenetrable barrier of false happiness.

"So eh, I'm bored with Sprinkles over here now. When are we going to start, you know, actually... DOING something other than annoying the hell out of each other and sitting around uselessly? And..." She turned her gaze to the Lucario speaking in a different language. "Babbling?"


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"I would have to agree with the Absol and Quilava," Frollo noted, "If this 'liberation group' as it's put, is to accomplish anything, we might want to achieve the jailbreak soon, before this group dissolves into..." he glanced at the Togetic, "... more of _those_.

"The first order of business would likely be where and when we would break into the pits... I highly doubt that there would be only one entrance to them, and depending on when we strike, there might be more or less enemies of ours. Either way, we need to make our move soon."

He turned to the Riolu. "As for you, the only allies I need are the ones that are judged to be worthy in battle. I have not in several decades found a number of worthy opponents, and I doubt that you will be any better. When the chance to fight arises, pray to whatever gods you believe in that you prove me wrong."


----------



## Zora of Termina

Sheila lost interest around the point the child started speaking in tongues. Halan spoke that. He could do more for her than she ever could without being able to understand her.

However, now another had caught her eye. That black Absol... she had gotten negative vibes from her earlier. But now she was telling the annoying sparklefairy off... perhaps Sheila could get to liking this Absol.

_Hah, someone who's just as annoyed by that thing...

"You have to admit, it would be fun to break her spirit. See just how much the little ball of disgustingly saccharine happiness can take."_

Sheila blinked. Where had that voice come from...? It didn't sound like anyone here... but she couldn't help but agree with it. And the guy who said they needed to get a move on.


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward stared as the Togetic shucked off his full-power Thunderbolt, barely registering Halan's smack or words. There was no _way _that was real. He was a highly-trained killing machine, and even if he wasn't the best at special attacks, that should have done much more damage.  Sparkleass was getting on his nerves now. 

The feline gently pushed Ammy towards Sheila, taking one of her tails gently in his mouth and draping it over the little Riolu.

"I'll be right back, lil' fluffy one, okay? Sheila, can you watch her?" He added, looking up at the vixen with a faint feline smile.  "I'm gunna go teach that ball of stupid to shut it's mouth."

With that, he started stalking toward Smile, tail flicking and feet silent on the grass, the posture of a hunter.  As soon as he was close enough behind the flying type, he leapt, claws out and pinned her to the short grass with a his. He made sure his claws would press in enough to hurt and cause bleeding, but not kill her.

"_Listen_ to me, sparkleass. Shut up. _None_ of us want to deal with you, or your bullshit "_sparkles_" and your overly enthusiastic behavior.  This is war, runt, and you need to nut up or shut up. Or I'll _make_ you shut up. _Permanently_. You catch my drift?" He hissed, voice low and dangerous. He didn't get up.  "Now, I want you cut out all this cheerful bullcrap. Most of us have been through hell, and you...you wouldn't have made it, if you'd been through the same. They fed us Pokemon like you for meals. So, we're going to figure out or plan of attack, and you're going to _be quiet_."


----------



## River

Allum shook his head slowly, "It won't help to kill Smile. Not everyone reacts to the pits in the same way." He stood and walked over to the Golden Terror, he knew the records but Allum didn't care in the least. Every single being had a weakness, this Persian's appeared to be the child. "No matter what any of you think, it can't hurt to have a positive outlook. Although I do find the forced joy annoying." He knew that speaking like this wouldn't earn him respect but it mattered not.
He walked back over to the stump and decided he would communicate with the other Eevee, "Hello, nice to meet you. Nice wings too. Call me Allum".


----------



## see ya

Pali stared at the Golden Terror and shivered a little as he pinned Smile and gave his speech. She felt a little conflicted. On one hand, it wasn't really so wrong of Smile to want to make the best of their situation and try to put their nasty pasts behind them through just being happy. On the other, well it just seemed kind of _wrong_, how happy she was. Even Pali herself, trying her best to just enjoy the night for what it had to give, felt troubled that her future would be anything like her past. That Smile felt none of this concern was disquieting. 

Pali also felt worried about Frollo's constant talk of judgment and worthiness. He seemed to be taking charge now, and Pali herself had only won a single battle in her time in the pits. What if she was one of the ones to be left behind and alone? She didn't want to think about it. Not now. 

She found herself right next to the little Riolu, who still seemed quite frightened. Even though she couldn't understand a single word coming out of the child's mouth, she still found herself answering.

"You're so small..." Pali said, "Too small... You were down there too... weren't you? That's sad... But we're gonna be okay now... It looks like someone's gonna take good care of you..." She looked over at the Golden Terror. He was big and scary, yes, but if he was willing to be so gentle with this tiny Riolu he couldn't be all bad. 

She squeaked a little as her fluff brushed up against the Riolu, and she hoped the Persian didn't catch that.


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan mostly ignored Froo-froo, or Frollo, whatever his name was. Mainly the Persian was occupying him. _Way to help the mood, here, Spiffy. Ya' really know how to 'rally the troops.'_ He shook his head, and looked once more at all the other pokemon. 

All these pokemon were different from the average of their species. Somehow. And while Xhan had noticed the little lump of fur that was another riolu, he had tried to get the image from his mind. It only upset him, mostly because he wanted to somehow help the thing (He couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl, since he had only caught glimpses of fur) , but he was afraid any attempt he made could be taken the wrong way. It had happened on more than one occasion.

Instead, his attention was effectively drawn back to the Golden Terror. He sighed at the cat's threats. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself, and approached the feline. "Look, don't be mad at her for being happy. I mean, really, there's no point to it. Just... Calm down..." Xhan didn't know if this advice was for the Persian or himself. "Deep breaths.... In, out." He smiled calmly, or as much as he could next to this guy. "C'mon, just lay off for a bit."

_I am in this guy's face *way* too much, even by my standards. I'll be dead by the end of the week if I don't go somewhere else._ And whether Smile comprehended Ed's threat or not, Xhan didn't like the idea of everyone being at each other's throats. He was used to being strongly disliked, so he wasn't bothered if the cat hated him, and although he didn't really know Smile, he figured from what he had seen of her, she was too innocent for her own good. She needed someone to stick up for her, in Xhan's opinion, whether she knew it or not... And she very well might not have.


----------



## Mai

The persian pounced on Smile, accidently digging his claws into her chest. It hurt, it hurt a lot, but he didn't mean to, she was sure. She was still happy, anyway. Her mood wasn't broken that much.

He was angry, she knew. And he forgot her name. Sparkle would've been a nice name, though. Almost as fitting for her as Smile! She was bleeding, but her sparkles were healing her. Or were they? They made her feel slightly better.  He also wanted her to play the quiet game.  Or he would make her.

_That doesn't make much sense,_ The togetic wondered. _Would he make me jealous of his quietness? That might be nice. No offense, but his voice sounds kind of mean..._

The blood was messing with her happiness. She considered how to fix that while the persian finished his angry rant. When he got off her, he dragged his cuts a little more. That hurt. It might've even been intentional.

Smile sat up. First things first, to fix the cuts, the sparkles had to be moved away. She brushed off a good amount of joy dust, wincing. That just made it worse. To use wish a second time would be silly, so she just wiped it off her chest and flew up a bit. Flying sounded much better than walking.

Xhan was talking to the persian, chewing him out for pouncing on her. It was nice of Xhan to do that, and it was a bit harsh for that persian to jump on her. He might've even meant to hurt her! It was rude. And to think of it, he probably would've been the type of person to do that, but she wasn't sure. 

_He's been pretty hostile, I guess._

But he had been just helping her the first time, right? The second time and now, though... it was confusing.

Her sparkles were returning, making her feel much better. 

Maybe the persian was just rude, and angry. That was fine. Smile could deal with that. Perhaps she was just overreacting in the first place. After all, why would anyone do that?

Either way, the one person who was the least rude and angry here was Xhan, and he's fun. The riolu was a great friend.


----------



## Sylph

Halan glanced  at edward and watched him tackle the 'smile' pokemon, shaking his head a bit before turning his attention back to the small riolu now in Shelia's care. He lowers his head to the riolu and spoke softly and slow to her, not wanting to make her scared. "Vy ne stranno. No vy govorite, vy govorite tak zhe, kak tvoya matʹ ..."

Halan lifts his paw and brushes it over the pup's head, the tugging in his body driving him mad. He would swear that this was not real, that it was just something unrelated...

But there was only one other Lucario female he ever met that could speak the same way he does.

"...Shelia...this may sound strange but...I've only known one Lucario that spoke the same vay I do. She asked me to help her be vith child...and I think this riolu...this pup." He looks up at Shelia, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Vhat do you think. Could she be...?"


----------



## Zora of Termina

Sheila stared down at the Riolu handed to her. "I... I'm not sure._ Podría muy bien estar_, she may well be. She smells like you. If that's the case... she needs a name, Halan."

 Again, she wrapped a tail around the Riolu, nuzzling her softly. "_Será niño fino, pequeña_, I'll take care of you." She looked up at Ed for a moment, now thinking that maybe he was going a bit too far. Yes the sparkle-ball had annoyed her, but... no, that stupid little thing deserved it. Now just watch the child. She took to laying down, curled around her, and started cleaning her.

"You know, if he really is your father... you're in very good hands."


----------



## Sylph

"...Then...if you can see it too...it must be true. I'm a father...she vas able to bring child to term in these times." He whispered, a slight smile on his face. He brushes his paw over her again, a sad look in his eyes as he passes the place her arm should have been. Edward found her somewhere, and that's never a good sign in these times.

_She's the dead...her mother is dead and she is vounded. Those humans...those blasted humans did this to her._

He could feel the under-current of rage in him bubble, hatred for the human race festering deep inside of him. He closes his eyes and lets out a strained sigh. The image of a young human girl flashes across his mind's eye, calming his rage back to the under-current.

_Miyu...the only light in that place._

Halan opens his eyes and places a paw on the Riolu's tiny body, feeling her heartbeat under his palm. Tears started to form in the corner of his eyes, a new feeling coming over him. This pup was his flesh and blood. His kin and daughter.

"...Anastasia. Vashe imya budet Anastasiya." He leans down and kisses the her forehead, lowering his voice to a soft whisper. "Vy mozhete ne veritʹ mne, no ya vash otets. YA budu zdesʹ, chtoby zabotitʹsya o tebe i lyublyu tebya. Vsegda."


----------



## Bluberry Bat

Before Ammy could receive an answer, she was whisked off again, her saviour placing her elsewhere and seeming to leave. She let out a small yelp.. but she wasn't quite as frightened any more. Everyone, everything felt so... gentle, even in the emotional turmoil. Maybe it was a trick, maybe it was a dream.. and at this point, did it really matter if it was? And it was so warm.. and.. fluffy.. She felt something brush against her, but it didn't startle her like it may have, and she made a reach for it.. but it was already gone. She pouted a bit, and lifted her head a bit.
"Moya mat'... Ya nikogda ne znal yee... Vy znali yee?..."
She fidgeted around a bit, the warm fluff of the one now holding her wrapping her comfortably, and even cleaning her... she wasn't used to this at all, still making her a bit nervous.
And then her eyes shot open - out of pure reflex, more than anything else.
"O- Otets?.. No zdhat'... Ya....."
She pulled her arm from Sheila's tail, and reached to feel Halan's paw - eyes unfocused and looking into the distance, but filling with tears. She didn't quite understand such implications, but at the same time just... knew.
"i- imya?... U menya yest' imya?..... U vas yest' imya?..."
She turned her head slightly again, looking to be in thought for a moment.
"a-An' Shee.. Lah..? Shei-la?... I... am not good with.. language.. of common.." She spoke with a heavy slur and accent, "You.. you are not mother.. but.. you are so kind to me..."
Her eyes shut again, letting tears roll down her face. She didn't know what to think. 'Anastasia'... she had a name... had a father... it all happened so, so fast...


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo observed the Persians attack on the Togetic with mild amusement. Hopefully, this would get the message clear to the overly happy pokemon. If not, and it continued its insipid chatter, Frollo would have to make an early judgment.

_Or maybe not a permanent judgment... just a more painful reminder that it will have to keep its mouth shut._

"We are wasting time here," he said, growing exasperated, "If we are to make any sort of 'liberation' on the pits, we'll need to move quickly; I do think that everyone who intends to be here is already here. So tell me, what are we waiting for?"


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Following the sounds of Pokemon speech, another carefully navigated the path to find the pack. In the dark of the night the Raichu glowed softly, not wanting to startle anyone with his presence and reluctant to glow too brightly in case a human should see and follow. So his approach was deliberate and slow, wary of attracting the wrong attention and of outright surprising the pack. His appearance was well kept, even with his travelling, and his tail was kept low to the ground so not to act as a beacon.

Upon finding the pack he didn't hang around in the shadows - he'd made the decision to join them. Instead he stepped forward quietly and confidently. 
"Hello." He said, looking around. There didn't seem to be a defined leader as most people were just milling about talking. "I'm here to join the pack, if I may."
He sat down as he spoke and curled his tail, waiting respectfully. He dimmed his glow further, now that he had found the pack.


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

For some reason, the Persian's show of attacking the Togetic didn't quite amuse her as much as she thought. In fact, she was irritated. She growled a bit and grimaced. So she didn't get to be the one to strike that ball down with words. The stupid Golden Terror had stolen her thunder and taken the spotlight away from her again... Peh. She could tell he was gonna be a big attention whore. Th Absol snorted and shook out some of her thorny fur from her face.

Wait a minute...

For a moment, her face fell as she saw that red liquid once more, seeping from the wounds of Sprinkles. On that face was an expression of... was it sadness? Or maybe shock and fear...

No, shake it off. Don't show weakness. Change the subject and ignore it. Don't mention it.

Quickly, she changed her expression to a rather neutral blank one as she looked away from both the Togetic and the Persian.

"Eh, Claude Spoono, they're not gonna listen to you... they all seem too wrapped up in their own insignificances." The Absol narrowed her eyes at the Lucario and the little bundle of fur which was revealed to be a Lucario; they seemed to have been espousing that stupid language again. 

Then she saw the black Ninetales looking at her briefly before she too began to babble. Seriously, _what_ was with the peanut gallery over here? Babbling in ridiculous tongues for no real reason. 

"They're all just gonna keep babbling on ridiculously in languages we can't understand. Not really like I care though whether we save people or not; but I'd at least like to _get going_." As she said this, she took note of another insignificant nothing; this time a strangely metallic-looking Raichu. _Great_, more sparkles and glowing. This one was boring though; no discernible weaknesses yet. So she ignored him. Leave that to the Welcoming Committee, whoever they were.


----------



## Mai

While Smile was sorting things out about the persian, a raichu walked in, asking to join the pack. The togetic moved aside her confusion at the golden cat that had pounced on her and focused on his glow. It was like her sparkles!

The glow was mesmerizing, so Smile stared at it while the raichu asked to join.

_Speaking of which, should I join? The persian is weird, but Xhan is nice. I think I'll join!_

If she was joining, perhaps she should make more new friends other than Xhan. The bannette hadn't responded to her yet, so she flew over to the glowing raichu.

_He's probably nice! He's so polite!_

"Hi. I'm Smile. I'm curious, how do you make yourself glow? See,  I sparkle because I have joy dust. Togetic make it naturally, and it makes people happy. But raichu don't normally glow, do they? How do you glow?"


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"You make an excellent point, Absol," Frollo said, "all of these pokemon are trapped in their own little insignificant affairs to really care about what happens in this group. Perhaps we're all looking at this the wrong way."

He shaped one of his spoons into a hammer, and calmly strode over to the tree stump.

"If you could all turn your attention away from your petty social matters and pay attention to the _matter at hand?!_" At the last three words, Frollo brought the hammer down on the stump. Not hard enough to smash it, but it was certainly a move that would send a loud noise through the clearing.

_And if that fails to get their attention, I_ know _I'll have to make a few premature judgments,_ he thought, _this group cannot have anything slowing it down if we are to hope to accomplish anything._


----------



## ....

Leo was listening. He was spying on about three different conversations at once, and they all made sense in his head.

_"...all of these pokemon are trapped in their own little insignificant affairs to really care about what happens in this group. Perhaps we're all looking at this the wrong way."_

Leo was shocked at this statement. Well, for most of them, it was true, but at least they might be able to listen for once...?

_Thump._

The thump rang out through the clearing as clear as the sun was rising.

"I've been listening the whole time. It's these babblemouths," he pointed, "who just _keep on going_!"


----------



## Littlestream

She found them during the night. Astrid had been walking for days, without signs of life anywhere, until the Electrike saw the lair of the Legendary Beast Pack, though she didn't know what it was at that point. Seeing Pokemon crawling through the shadows, she walked in and said, " Did you escape from the pits too? My name is Astrid." After introducing herself, she told them her story in as few words as possible, her shyness showing through all her attempts to conceal it. "I'll join this pack, I guess," she said, after hearing of the group's motives. "I'll assist you in any way necessary."


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza jumped up, did a flip, and landed on the ground, claws outstretched and surrounded by shadow energy. He glared at Frollo, and then turned his attention to a little shine-fest. He walked over to the Raichu and Smile. "Hey, I'm Paza. What up?"


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina had also been ignored - not just for healing, which seemed to be growing less likely each minute - but also her question towards the other veterans. Her own anger would have been clear if she hadn't found out that moving hurt far too much to bother, but she laid her ears back as the Alakazam slammed a hammer suddenly on the stump, loud enough that it almost hurt her ears. Not moving, she turned her head to stare balefully at him, before moving her gaze to the Persian who was now... threatening the sparkling Togetic. 

_"You,"_ she growled, eyes narrowing. "Since you're too busy trying to start a fight, I suppose you didn't hear me. Because you, the Lucario, and the Ninetales, are veterans, and no one else seems to have a clue about _anything_, I thought you were the leaders. Are you? Or is there no leader, and do you all just escape, gather and then move in one direction like a ton of Mareep?" Rather brave words for a pitfighter that most certainly would die if attacked right now. 

It wasn't really her fault that the Lucario was talking to the Riolu and the Ninetales wasn't close by - thus, the Persian had been the only one to approach. That he was a fighter renowned for slaughtering his opponents wasn't amazingly impressive, since she had done that too - but he had many more kills than her, a metal limb and was perfectly heatlhy, while she... wasn't. This was, of course, the _perfect_ time to deliver scathing remarks.


----------



## Sylph

Halan smiled down at the Riolu, then glanced up at Shelia. He asked her to watch over his daughter for a few moiments as he fishes back into his bag and walks back to the Arcanine. He mutters a soft appoligy and steps closer, only to watch her speak out to Edward.

_Leaders...? ah, she's vondering who leads this group. Curious...i haven't seen a leader quite yet. Though that Alakazam seems to be trying to get attention._

He steps in the path between her and Edward, pulling the bottle and cloth back from his bag, now opening the bottle and pressing the cloth to it. After tipping it a few times, he steps closer to the Arcanine and presses it to a wound.

"This may sting. But it vill heal the vound. Now...lay down so I may fix this better. Shelia, if possible, assess the vounds on Anastasia." He glances over his shoulder at Shelia, giving her a slight smile before dabbing at the wounds again. He then slides hi glance to the Alakazam and turns back to the icy neutral expression.

"Ve are listening. And ve know vhy ve are here. The question is, vhere to hit first. Ve are on route one, so logically ve should go to Virdian. Not a far valk, but ve should stick to the thick voods to avoid humans. Do not need needless fighting. Safe strength for the real battle. If ve leave now...it vill take about an hour through voods. But ve should first make sure ve are all ready for a fight. No not need valking corpse ready to fall. A strong team is only as strong as its veakest member, so ve must vatch out for one another and make sure ve are all healthy."

Halan then gives the pokemon a slight smile and nods his head, as if telling him to proceed.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"Thank you," Frollo said, glad that some in this group knew that action needed to be taken. Shaping the hammer back to the spoon, he continued:

"The Lucario is right. Considering that Viridian is the nearest establishment, striking that area would prove to be the most beneficial to our group's goal. If we must hide from sight to do so... well, I suppose that is what it is. Once we access the Viridian Pit, I do feel that there will be a group among us that will have to... clear away the rabble while others take care of liberating those in the pit. I... will be among the group taking care of the rabble."

For a moment, he glanced over at that Togetic and Xhan. _Useless, both of them,_ he thought, _I will have to keep a close eye on them during this run... just to see how worthless they really are._

He turned his gaze to the crowd. "Who among you would prefer to join with me... or to help liberate? Choose carefully."

_After all, go with me, and you will be judged._


----------



## ....

"I would like to help liberate."

His voice was as clear as the dawn; after all, he didn't want others to mishear him.

Leo's mind went back to when he saw a Skitty die at Suzanne's hands- or rather _paws_. He could have freed it. He could have prevented its death. He could have helped its family.

But he didn't. Now he could actually help for once in his life.


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan looked at Froo-Froo, or whoever he said he was. He thought about it for a moment. He'd been stuck in the wild for the past couple weeks, and found he wasn't any use at all. "Hey, why not? I have nothing better to do!" He grinned. _I know some people here who'll hate me just for sayin' that I'm in._ 

His grin vanished, and he put his paw to his chin thoughtfully, and asked Frollo, "Hey, Froo-Froo, what's 'rabble' mean? Can I eat it? Why do you get some when others _don't_? Do you have food-greed?" He knew he asked too many questions. And he knew it pissed people off. That's mainly why he did it. Actually, he knew full well what rabble meant.


----------



## Sylph

_Blood shed and murder. Haven't ve done that enough to last a life time? But ve are vhat ve are. Monsters deep down and have no way to escape it. Ve are a group of killers and nothing more. Best to use vhat ve've got in order to save the other pokemon._

Halan focused on the Arcanine's wounds, finding some nast ones along her body. He ghosted his hand over the wounds, recognizing them to be welt from whips. He knew what those felt like all too well. Curious enough to him was the fact that the wounds look to be the first of their kind.

_One not used to abuse from a human...did she escape vhen she started to get hit? Curious and curiouser. She looks to be used to battle, the muscle structure under her pelt and flesh proves a fast runner. Like most of her kind. She's not a stranger to battle....but little marks of battle on her. Hm..._

He closes his eyes a bit, taking on a faint blue glow as he scans her aura coursing through her body. He then went further with the sight and looked at her bone structure high-lighted by the aura in her body. He didn't find any breaks, just flesh wounds and internal bruising. Her aura did she she was fatigued from her travel and pain.

_She is quite stubborn...or strong. Could be both if she ran all this vay in this condition. Could also be confusion and fear as vell. Vell...can't really ask. I don't know her that vell yet._


----------



## Mai

The alakazam was cool. He shaped the spoon around as he talked of his plan. Smile wondered how he did that. Telekinesis, right? Could she learn to do that herself?

"Uh, I don't know what rabble is either, but I don't think it's food. Is it like rubble? Does that mean we pick up rocks?" The togetic asked inquisitively. "I think I'll go wherever Xhan goes." She decided quickly. There was no reason to not do that for her. She didn't even fully understand what she would do in either case. But cleaning up rubble would be boring...

_I hope I don't have to pick up rocks though... or be with that persian. He's a bit too grumpy._

She looked around. The nice lucario was healing the arcanine, using some weird glowing aura power. That was an interestign power herself, though Smile didn't think she could learn how to do it. Those powers were exclusive to lucarios, weren't they?

_Yeah, I think they are. I guess that means I won't be able to do that... too bad. I can probably metronome telekinesis, though!_


----------



## shadow_lugia

After Nevra had finished satisfying her curiosity about the Gallade, she sat back and watched everyone else babble away. She didn't know what most of them were talking about, but the voices were somewhat soothing.

The Alakazam in particular seemed to talk a lot and make a big show of being important. From what few words she could understand, she began to think that this guy seemed to think of himself as a very strong leader, even though he hadn't been with the pack for more than a day.

As he talked, Nevra noticed that he often reshaped the odd shiny thing in his hand. Wondering if she too could do this, the voiceless Banette picked a twig up from the ground, focusing all her thought onto turning it into a shiny thing like the Alakazam had.

It didn't work.

After trying a couple more times, Nevra gave up and dropped the twig. He was talking again, in words that she didn't understand. Establishment? Beneficial? What did these words mean? She listened more, then heard the word clear. Clear! She knew what clear was. Nevra liked clear things; you could feel them, and yet you couldn't quite see them. Clear things were fun to play with.

Joyful at this mention of clear, Nevra floated back over to the Alakazam, now with a smile on her torn face. Maybe he was going to take them all to the clear?


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo knew that the Riolu was simply baiting him. Typical of ones that were undoubtedly more than fifty years his junior would try and get under his skin. Nevertheless, the Alakazam decided that he might as well humor the fool, considering that a lack of response would encourage him more than a given response would.

"Rabble," he said, also addressing the Togetic, "is what you might call an object that has no real use in the world, and simply is in the way. Other words one might use instead for rabble include 'trash' or 'load' for those that prefer simplicity." Frollo gazed coldly at the Riolu, "In fact, depending on what occurs in this coming mission, you might find yourself with that title. I know already that this Togetic is rabble; very little at this point could prove me wrong."

Having delivered that little tirade, Frollo turned his head to find that the Banette from earlier was staring at him again.

"Do you require anything? I have very little patience for any more... distractions at this point. This group is being delayed from accomplishing the liberation it's seems to have advertised, and you are certainly doing nothing to alter that."


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina did not really want the Lucario anywhere near her, given that battle reflexes screamed that he could just stab her _right now_ while she was _helpless_, and she had to move, but... She couldn't move, he had enough dexterity and most likely enough experience to know how to heal, and she didn't really have a choice anyways. So she snorted as he asked her to lay down, but obediently settled, flinching when he touched her. Not only did the liquid - whatever it was, she had little experience with medicine other than that it worked and other people tended to put it on her - sting, but she hadn't reconciled herself with the fact that he (probably) wouldn't hurt her anytime soon.

When he touched the welts from the whips, she turned her head, eyes narrowed and watching to see if his expression changed. It didn't, though, and she relaxed slightly, watching the Lucario take on an eerie blue glow. She had seen such before - she had fought his kind before a few times - but it was interesting to see one use it outside of battle. 

"So you don't have a leader... Pity. I would have considered joining now that you're planning on moving and rescuing some Pokemon. If I wasn't injured, I could help in killing some rabble," she drawled. "I don't suppose you can just heal all of my wounds with that blue glow?"


----------



## Bluberry Bat

_*BANG*_
Time seemed to slip by in large chunks rather than its usual, slow monotonous crawl out here. As soon as she had found him, it felt like he had gone - and he had said something, but before Anny could register, the banging. So it was a dream? a trick? her emotions kicked back into overdrive, and she flipped, yelping in panic and flailing about...




(hey. hey yeah you. pay attention to the context of the whole group.)


----------



## Zora of Termina

"Ohhhh dear." 

Sheila looked quite distressed as the little Riolu began to flip out. "Dear, calm down! It was just a noise! It's done now!" She flattened her ears at the Alakazam. The asshole. There was more to leadership than killing. For instance, she herself would rather stay out of the way and keep the youngest ones safe...

...Except that Togetic. That one could die.

"_¡Fácil ahora, el pequeña!_ Calm yourself! I'll keep you safe, don't worry..." she nuzzed her again, "...No matter what I have to do..."


----------



## Sylph

"Ve may not have leader. But it does not matter. If ve get one, it vill be from respect and the things they do to prove themselves vorthly of such title." He muttered back to her, his voice dropping a bit to a whisper. "Though...slamming hammers and quick action for more killing doesn't show strength. Leadership is more than bloodshed. It is also the ability to show kindness in the darkest of times and helping others pull through."

He then chuckles under his breath, rubbing the side of his head with a paw. "As for the 'Blue glow'. That can't heal you...at least, I haven't tried to do that vith aura...might be something to learn along the vay. May be useful in future...I could try though"

He closes his eyes and focuses on the Arcanine, pressing his paws to her side and lets his aura sink into her. He could feel a part of himself draining as he tries the heal her, watching his aura weave through her being and knit at the wounds along her back and shoulders. He takes a steady breath to keep control over his aura, letting the aura knit more and more of the wounds shut. Finally, his concentration breaks with the sound of his daughter yelping. His eyes snap open and he turns to look back at her, feeling his aura slip back into him. He mutters a soft curse and looked at the wounds on the Arcanines body, seeing that the minor ones had sealed and the major ones are mostly sealed and healing nicely on their own now.

"You vill be fine now. You vill find that you are feeling better. But be careful so you don't reopen the major of vounds." he looks back at Shelia, waving her over a bit, as in asking her to bring his daughter to him.


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic listened to the continual chatter with a lazy wave of his tail. He answered the togetic's question though before considering the various members of the group more closely. "Raichu's naturally glow in the dark. I can merely alter the strength of this light." Most of the group did seem largely...disjointed. As if unacquainted. Admittedly he had yet to be introduced to any except this...extremely sparkly and upbeat Togetic. She seemed more the type to be someone's pet than a force in the resistance.

He noticed as some of the group around the bundle proceeded to pull together over the little one's safety. It seemed the baby was panicking. Dominic didn't have any experience with young children...or children in general. But it was the protection the group seemed to be expressing that caught his attention. They could work together. Probably without the child they would pull together too, but the child provided common ground. At least, as it seemed.

He approached them cautiously, not wanting them to think he was about to make the situation worse or, indeed, actually make the situation worse by upsetting the child further. He wasn't opposed to force when it came to humans...afterall, they had used plenty of force in their oppression over the years. But he'd rather work with a united, less violent group than a rabble of battlers.


----------



## Stormecho

She snorted at that, but said nothing to deny it. The Alakazam was quick to act as leader, but so far no one seemed willing to acknowledge him as such. He wasn't meeting the Lucario's criteria, at least. She stiffened as the Lucario decided to actually test if he could heal, though... she could almost feel the wounds hurting less, and the flow of blood finally stopping. Eyes closing, she relished the sensation of renewed strength - not enough to suit her, but enough to run and fight if she had to - only for that sudden relief to be instantly broken.

Ears flattening at the high pitched yelp, she twisted to take a look at the Riolu, fighting down the sudden panic - they were being attacked - as there was no sign of such. "I do feel better. Thank you," she muttered, eyes narrowing as she carefully got to her feet. Her muscles still twinged, and she would need a long rest - but she could move freely, and fight, and that was what was important. "Well, it looks like I'll be joining up with you after all..." She needed something to do - now that she wasn't on the brink of collapse, she could feel the usual restlessness, the fire demanding to burn something.

Taking a few steps so that she was close enough to examine the Riolu, she growled softly, the growl deepening as a Raichu approached. He reeked of lightning and metal, and was probably yet another newcomer. "What's wrong?" the Arcanine asked gruffly, shifting her weight. She didn't know what to do with someone flailing around and possibly in pain other than pin them down, and she had a feeling crushing the Riolu would not be helping in any way.


----------



## Cloudsong

(( HOLY FRIKKIN CRAP I'M LATE :O!!!! I was only gone two days too...xD...? Oh and btw...me healing people, that isn't stepping out of my bounds is it? I'm new to roleplaying..don't wanna annoy anyone. Just lemme know if I'm doing anything wrong~))

_THUD!!_

The heavy, resonating sound jolted Flyte awake and he looked around in surprise. He must have accidentally dozed off..He was more tired than he thought. Another Eevee was standing next to him, looking at him expectantly. He also heard a riolu crying..it sounded very young and very scared.

"Hi, my name's Flyte. What's yours?" He asked politely to the Eevee next to him. He saw the Alakazam over by the treestump, talking about something, but when he focused on it and listened in, it was just boring plan stuff. Flyte didn't need to know, he would do what he was told. If they needed him for something, then they'd tell him. A throbbing pain made him look over, and he saw that Togetic named Smile. Was Smile hurt? This was new..He channeled some of his healing energies and focused in on the Togetic. Everything else faded away in blurriness and his eyes glowed with a soft light. As he felt the Togetic's wounds heal, he sighed, his headache fading slightly. He shook his head to clear it and looked around once more. There were still other injuries, but none as fresh as the Togetic's..

Someone had already treated the terrifying Arcanine's, though she still looked quite tired. He focused in on her and gave her some of his energy...not much, but just enough to rejuvenate her tired muscles. He questioned the wisdom of healing Pokemon who were fully capable of tearing him to pieces, but he couldn't help it. This headache was frustrating him. He focused on each tired or injured pokemon, careful not to use too much energy, otherwise he'd run out before he was done. By the time he got to the Absol, he was sweating and panting...the healing was taking it's toll on him. And that Absol looked so scary...dangerous...but he gathered up the last whisps of energy he had and focused it on the Absol. 

The soft light faded from his eyes and he tried to stand but collapsed back on the ground. He groaned...he had overdone it...he knew he should've just waited. He silently reproached himself, he was too rash. Healing strange pokemon, especially before getting to know them, was way too dangerous. This wasn't the pits...it wasn't one on one..if they all turned on him...he was dead.


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

(Ninjaed! Sorry, I was posting this just as SkyAngel was. Editing now.)

The black Absol grinned widely as Spoono made his little speech and then answered the stupid worthless Riolu's question. She liked the way he operated... he annoyed her far less than the others. He actually had _purpose_ and _function_. That Lucario was wrong as they came. He was even healing that Arcanine... that worthless nothing. If it was her, she'd just leave her there to die. Nothing to contribute to the group if you're injured.

"Yeah uh, no, Babbleboy. A _good_ leader rules with authority and order. 'Least Spoono's doing something better than you lot. He's actually trying to put some order into this _mess_. I don't answer to anyone though, so he's no leader of mine. But... for now... I'll follow you, Claude Spoono. If anything I like best, it's wiping away _filth_." Peh. Kindness. Babbleboy was nuts. Like any of them could be kind. That's what you call a "pussy." Nice guys don't lead; they finish last. That's why there are no nice humans in the pits... except for... her... but she was too nice to survive.

Focus, again. Your mind is-

...Blargh! What was that _horrendous noise_?! Everything within her cringed tightly as she felt her very heart being assaulted by the wails of that... that... that creature. Another dumb Riolu, a dumb _baby_. If there was anything that irritated her, it was loud noises. They tore her apart, she had heard them constantly when he yelled at her... and still she had never gotten used to them. She felt her irritation rising... rising to levels beyond her control. Her fur seemed to black even more...

"ARGH! _Will somebody shut that stupid kid up?!_"

As she shouted, she felt... some kind of weird light on her. It felt good, but she didn't like it. It was too bright and happy. But it was... soothing her anger from the noise somewhat. She shook her head. No, weakness, remember... the Absol tried to shake off the light, and it was somewhat successful with the help of that... awful ear-splitting noise. And yet she did feel less angerier...


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan stared at Froo-Froo for a moment, then at the Lucario, then at the Absol. _People here just like telling others how tough they are, don't they?_ He had heard the Lucario say what makes a leader, what the Absol said makes a leader, and in a way, they were both right. _I don't know who's side I should be on... But I'm going with the guy with the accent! If I had that accent, I'd be a freakin' God!_ 

Xhan almost said, 'How about everyone shuts up,' but restrained himself. He had made enough deadly people angry today. Instead, he just watched the other Riolu, who apparently was a girl, judging from the noises she made. _Nobody here has any knowledge of how to hide their irritation... Except for Froo-Froo, that is. I say, if she needs to scream to make her problems better, let her scream._


----------



## Mai

"_Oh,_ thank you Mr. Alakazam." Smile said gratefully. "I had no idea."

_Man, he has a big vocabulary! I could learn a bunch of new words!_

The poor arcanine looked like she was in pain, she wanted to help her with her wish... but the lucario said not to before. What if that was wrong? 

The nice lucario man had healed her. That was good. 

_I guess it was right not to use wish,_ the togetic decided.

The raichu explained how he glowed, that raichu's always glow in the dark. He was just able to control it. Which was interesting. All of them seemed to be more powerful, or good at something. All she had was metronome, which was still unstable...

Smile gasped. She seemed to glow for a moment, with a soothing feeling... her cuts closed, and she was feeling wonderful. 

_How?_

She looked around. The winged eevee was glowing. People looked rejuvenated, and some were actually healing. 

_He's the one? I should thank him..._

He ended up panting with the exertion, and by the time he reached the absol, he collapsed. 

_Oh no!_

Smile flew away from the raichu and Paza, over to the nice winged eevee. 

"Are you okay?" Smile asked.

"I'm going to use wish, okay? You'll be fine... I'm _sure._"

She looked up, and in that special psychic move kind of way, she made a wish that the healer would be healed.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo gave a cold chuckle as the Absol finished his speech at the Lucario.

"The Absol is right, Lucario. The world we live in has no time for any sort of kindness or help. Our world is a rotting mess, and if you falter for even the smallest of moments, you will rot away. At least some of us," he gave an acknowledging nod at the Absol, "have come to understand that the world is not a world for weakness. I am glad that my sentiments are not held by solely myself."

He glared at the Togetic for a moment after it spoke at him. Clearly, the fool had missed the point of his speech. In hindsight, he shouldn't be too surprised.

He shaped a spoon into an ax. "Now then, those of you that wish to be one of the liberators, stand with the Arcanine, and those of you that wish to help me and the Absol, stand with me. As I said before, make your choice carefully."

He looked at the Absol again. Already, he was showing himself to be worthy; Frollo could only hope that his abilities in battle were just as worthy as his ideals.

_After all, the world has no place for those who care for anything sans themselves,_ he thought, giving a cold glare at the group huddling around the screeching child, _certainly there's no place for pokemon such as _those. _No place at all._


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte watched the Togetic fly over, slightly envying the freedom of flight that the pokemon had. 

"Are you okay?" Smile asked, almost immediately saying "I'm going to use wish, okay? You'll be fine...I'm sure!"

Flyte smiled at the cheerful pokemon.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Thanks. You're Smile, right? I'm Flyte."

He heard the Alakazam say who should go where and he hesitantly looked at the two groups...which one would appreciate his help? They both looked rather unfriendly...He just wasn't sure. There was also that group huddled by the crying riolu..Flyte wished he could help, but he knew nothing about mental anguish. His healing powers could only help the physical aspects of injuries, pain, and exhaustion..He sighed. He had just gotten here and he was already lost and confused, surrounded by a mix of "kill first, ask questions later" group. It was no different than the pits. This time, they were just choosing to act like jerks, instead of being forced to by humans. He hated it.


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan blinked. He looked back. "Wait, Froo-Froo... I'm confused. Aren't we all trying to do the same thing? You know, on the same team? You lost me completely." _These people are completely nuts. All of them. I thought I was until now. Huh. Smile's okay, I guess... If a little messed up in the head. A horse must have kicked her head right after she hatched, or something._


----------



## Stormecho

The fatigue was fading away, and she shook herself, unsure if it was from whatever the Lucario had done or something else - but regardless, the wounds were healing and she felt far less tired. Despite the pup's seemingly dire situation, she couldn't help baring her fangs in a savage grin at the thought of being almost as strong as usual. She was in the mood to fight something, and now she actually _could_.

She blinked as the Alakazam decided to fully take charge, designating groups. "That's all well and good, but I'm not doing any rescuing," she answered quickly. "So maybe have them gather around someone _else_. I'm just here to kill something." Perhaps if she hadn't _just escaped_ she would have been more willing to go and help other Pokemon, but her escape hadn't been planned. It hadn't been something she yearned for. It had been sheer fear and anger that had driven her forward, and there was no going back to her existence of before. At least she could take out the confusion she felt in battle - and maybe it would clear her mind and help her decide what to do. 

Casting one last, somewhat concerned look at the Riolu, she moved to stand near the Alakazam, stretching out. "Well, strength is all well and good, but you should rely on more than just that, I suppose," she drawled. "Or then you're just like those humans you all seem to hate so much, using strength to impose order on the world."


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo felt a slight bit of surprise as the Arcanine changed sides. From what he had seen of her, she had seemed to be one that desired to go with liberation.

_I suppose I can't be too judgmental of what they want... but that's all that I must not be hasty about._

Then the Riolu spoke up. Yet again. Hearing him, Frollo's patience grew thinner and thinner.

"We are, Riolu. But this is a job on two fronts. One group has to go and set the pokemon free - that would be with the Quilava, now - and the other group must clear away any of the opposition for the liberators, and the latter group has myself and the Absol. Did you forget what I said before the Lucario voiced his opinion?"

He placed the blade end of the shaped ax in top of the stump. "I can see no way that this job would be successful if all of us went in the same way, hence the split-up. As I have been saying, choose your group."


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic listened to the Alakazam. When he was done, he spoke up strongly. Another choice to make... he thought carefully, looking between the apparent 'groups' within the pack. He hadn't been expecting this...but he could do with it.

"I choose this group, if they will have me." He said, indicating to those huddled around the young, still crying child. "We have enough problems with the humans pitting us against each other for bloodsport. While I will not hold back in terms of force against the humans, I will not be so ruthless against those who should be our allies. We have spilled enough of each other's blood over the centuries to entertain old masters."


----------



## see ya

Pali was starting to get even more nervous now. All this talk of division and "groups" and judgment, and especially that loud hammer slam was starting to break even her mellow attitude. She had to find anything at all that would make her focus on more positive things...

The Riolu was crying loudly, probably terrified from the loud noise. Pali felt bad for her, and feeling a little more confident, seeing as the Golden Terror didn't jump her the first time she accidently touched the pup, she wandered back over to her, brushing her fluff against the tiny Riolu. 

"I know it's scary... but you'll be okay... we won't let anything bad happen to you... I promise..."


----------



## shadow_lugia

Nevra flinched back, giving the Alakazam a confused, hurt look. Why was he growling at her? Had she hurt him in a pit fight or something? She searched her memory, but couldn't remember fighting any Alakazam, or even any of its pre-evolutions.

Now wondering why he was talking in the way he was and what he was talking about, Nevra noticed the chaos seemed to split into two groups. Why? There were more strange, big words from the Alakazam. Her eyes then caught on the shiny thing. It reminded her of a bowl, but shallow with a stick on one end. What was it? She wanted to know what it was, wanted to investigate it herself. She half-began to reach out to touch it, but pulled her hand back quickly. This Alakazam didn't like her, that much was apparent. What would he do if she touched his bowl-stick? Rip her face off, probably. Actually, he'd probably rip her face off if she just stuck around.

Nevra turned her eyes to the other group. Maybe someone would like her there? Making her decision, Nevra drifted over to the other group.


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte sighed as he finally came to his decision for what group to join. If the ones attacking fell in battle, the others surely wouldn't help them. He would have to go with them just in case so he could heal them when they needed it. Ugh...he wished there was a bush of oran or sitrus berries around here. Attach a few of those to the leather straps on his paws and he could eat one to rejuvenate himself after healing a large group of pokemon. But sadly, he didn't see any...it was going to be a long night if they left tonight for the Viridian Pits.. But for now, he'd stay right where he was. He didn't like the looks of those who would rather fight than save fellow pokemon.

He decided...when they all left for the pits, he would tag along behind them. He would hide the whole time. If someone needed healing, he'd help them. If they didn't, then he was still out of the way and out of the danger of being ripped to shreds by those who thought they were better than him. Flyte snorted. It doesn't take much to run in pummeling everything around you. Only a lil courage or insanity. But it takes a lot more to know when NOT to fight, when it's time to help or hold back. So far, none of these prospective leaders were getting any respect from him if this was how they were going to run things.


----------



## wolftamer9

_life is nothing but rot. rot, and rot, and rot, until there's nothing. 
there, I see rot. so many rot. if I kill them, they'll stop rotting. they'll be mine. mine to kill the rot._


there was a piercing growl. the group of pokemon looked up at Lurkky. _was that me just now?_
Lurkky looked at all of the strange pokemon. he felt sorry that they had lived such terrible lives, and that they surrounded themselves with so much danger. but then he realized that that wasn't true. he didn't feel sorry because of that. he felt sorry because of Death. Death wanted to kill them. he hadn't been dreaming, he had been taken over.

Death had been causing so much trouble lately. Death killed Lurkky's owner. Death got Lurkky lost. Death was feeling more and more murderous. 

Lurkky hoped those pokemon were stronger than Death. they seemed organized. maybe they could restrain Death.

"um," he said awkwardly, "hello, how are all of you?"


----------



## RespectTheBlade

(( Well, I've learned a valuable lesson: If you go out for Halloween, and forget about an active RP, you WILL fall behind. Argh. Sorry for the lack of posting))

Xenon, who had been intently listening to the discussion, reviewed the events over in his mind. He was slightly bothered by all the newcomers, and was especially annoyed by the bouncing, sparkling Togetic. But he listened carefully to what this Alakazam had to say. Xenon did want to get something done, and he thought his talents would be of better use if he helped clear away opposition, rather than run around and unlock cages.

"I've listened to what you have to say, Alakazam, and I agree with you. If we are to split into groups, I'd like to go with this one." He motioned to the Alakazam's group. "I believe my... talents, shall we say, would be of more use to your group than the other."

He walked over to join the Alakazam and the Absol.


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward snorted as the stupid Togetic wiggled out of his grip - he hadn't gotten off her so that much have hurt.  The hammer caught his attention, however, and he watched with mild amusement as the Alakazam made a fool of himself. Until...

The little Riolu's crying jerked his attention back, and he let out a low growl before bolting back to her side, nuzzling gently at her and purring loudly.  How dare that stupid bag of psychic bones startle his little fluffy one?! He glared at Frollo, and put his flesh paw around the little pup.

"What utter crap. I'm not joining any of your 'groups'. I'm my _own_ damn group, and I'm going to do whatever I need to do to punish these humans for what they did. Sheila, let's go. Anyone else who doesn't have _time_ for the crap that this puppet spits can come with me. I'll take anyone with a sense of pride and the skills to back it up," he hissed, giving Sheila a look that plainly showed his annoyance at the rest of the group.

"You're with me, right, Smoke?" He purred to her, a hint of fondness in his voice.


----------



## Zora of Termina

If you were observant, and if Sheila's fur weren't jet black, you would've seen the faintest hint of a blush at the nickname Ed had coined for her. But then her expression went right back to serious. 

"I'm with Ed here." she snarled. "_De loca groups._ We are our own 'group'. Think of us as weak if you want, but I for one do not give a _mierda_ about what you think. I... am leaving with him." she blew out a small pillar of flames and glanced expectantly at Halan. She had no intention to leave behind the little Riolu with that bag of Psychic shit.

"C'mon, Goldy... Let's go."


----------



## Bluberry Bat

Words did little to settle the pup - and the emotional recoil from those around her didn't help either. That was until...
Fluff... the fluff was back... immediately her cries softened and movements settled, slowly, but surely, to not much more but a bating sniffle. There was something about that presence, warm, and soft, and calm...
"p- p.. pushistyĭ.." Anny stuttered, voice still holding a slightly warbling turmoil. She giggled, softly and awkwardly at first, but then reaching out to feel and touch. Was this a Pokémon? She couldn't tell, she hadn't met many Pokémon, certainly none this fluffy. It seemed to have a voice, a soothing voice - slow, deliberate and comforting. She pulled the fluff closer, nuzzling her face into it.
"p- Pushistyĭ!"


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic had already decided. Even if this team was separating, he had made the choice to follow them. So it would be best to get to know them a little bit better. Warily he approached the seemingly more open of the group - the little Erufuun, that was letting the baby snuggle into her fluff. Getting close he could see that the little bundle of blue and black was a Riolu. 

"Hey." He spoke softly, not wanting to upset the Riolu by making any loud or sudden noise. "My name's Dominic. What's yours?" He asked, extending a paw to her and smiling. He also smiled at the little one, noticing how cute she was as she curled up into the fluff, happily repeating a word he didn't understand.


----------



## see ya

Pali looked around, seeing a glimpse of blue snuggling into her fluff. It was the Riolu, and just by being near her the pup's cries softened. This put Pali's mind a bit more at ease. 

"Yes...that's my cotton... you can feel it if you want... it's fine... if it makes you feel better then you can be near it all you want..."

She noticed the Raichu coming near. He seemed gentle enough, calmly introducing himself to her. Yes, unlike the others, he seemed nice. Pali gently took his paw, shaking it lazily.

"Yeah... Pali... I like you... you're nice... and glowing... and kinda metall-y.... but mostly nice... I hope we can be friends..." she nods a bit up at him, smiling.

Pali turned a little further, getting a good look at the Riolu's face. As her eyes opened just a little bit, Pali noticed something...strange about them. She'd noticed it for a while. actually, how they never seemed to lock onto anything, and that oftentimes they weren't even open at all. 

"Umm... I just noticed... little one, can you see me? Can you see anything...?" She waved a paw by her face and noticed no reaction. "You're blind..." Pali said sadly.


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza looked around. "Wait-what?" _I must have fallen asleep again._ He shook his head and looked for the Alakazam. "Hey, mister. When are we going?"


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

So the stupid thing finally quieted down... _thank God_. Finally, she could relax. Her muscles became less tense as she felt the irritation going back to her normal levels of negativity... good... good. Her fur lost that extra tint of black it seemed to have.

She glared ruefully at the arrogance of that stupid Persian. The Absol was quite sure now that she didn't like him. What an idiot. 

He was actually making his _own_, divergent group, which in the end just made him a puppet like the rest of them. These factions would probably split this Pack up... it wasn't so Legendary as she had heard of it...

Oh well. She didn't really care that much; as long as she got to her goal. He was taking his weaknesses with him; that the Peanut Gallery of Tongues would come with him too. Whatever. Less annoying babbling in languages she didn't understand. She wouldn't object to that. Weeding out the filth was always good to her.

She just hoped that Sprinkles came with them. She wanted to rip that one to shreds and see the tears of a broken spirit. It would cheer her up immensely from the stupidity of most of these nothings. The group that had come with her and Spoono so far didn't look so notable. There was... an odd winged Eevee, hm... then the Arcanine who seemed bloodthirsty... not bad on that... she'd rather bloodthirsty than happy. And a Gallade who she really didn't know much about. Well, at least it wasn't anyone that stupid. She felt she had made the right choice.

"Name's Naxalge. Call me that in the future instead of Absol. They're all just puppets too; following that Persian. He's an arrogant bastard who likes the smell of his own crap. We don't need him. It's obvious he has a penchant for trouble and getting rid of him would probably be best. We don't need that _baby_ of his weakness slowing us down either. He's just going to go in and rip everything apart without so much of a semblance of a plan. He will fail."


----------



## Littlestream

(You live in a different time zone and you miss _everything_.)

Being a newcomer, Astrid didn't feel like she could help much with their discussion, but when the topic changed to splitting up, she knew what to do. "I... I think I'll join the group who will be rescuing the pokemon trapped in the pits," she said timidly. _Was that the right decision?_ she thought. _Why do we have to split up anyway? I just got here! And that poor little thing... she seems so lonely..._


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"Very well, Naxalge," Frollo said, lowering his voice so only Naxalge could hear him, "I am glad to know that you of all of these pokemon share my sentiments. You are certainly correct in thinking that the Persian's ideals will cause several... strains in this group. I, for one, do not wish to allow too many of those strains to go on for too long. It would be advantageous to root out as many weaknesses in this group as early as possible, and then destroy them. The Togetic, for instance, needs to be dealt with."

He turned to face the Persian. "Fine. Do what you will, but tread carefully. If your group should cross paths with mine while we clear away opposition... well, in the frenzy of battle, an Alakazam of my age could easily forget that you and I are of the same group."

_How interesting that a Dark-type - an Absol, no less - is one of my key supporters in this group, while the 'legendary' Golden Terror is one of my main sources of opposition. Truly... I cannot make too many premature judgments regarding behavior, though already, I believe that the Absol... no, Naxalge will be spared from my wrathful judgment.

But the Persian... though I do not wish to seize control of this group, to allow the Persian's will would be to revert the group to what it was before I did what I could to organize, and that's turn it into a group of naive fools such as the Togetic, or insolent weaklings such as that Riolu. We cannot have that if those of the pits are to be liberated._


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina snorted. Great - two bids for leadership. She had no reason for following either of them, though she wouldn't get in the way of the Lucario, at least, since he had been the one to heal her, even if only partially. His thoughts on a leader were idealistic, but she supposed a pitfighter could get tired of bloodshed and ruling with power. Not that she suffered from anything like that. "Lovely, we're splitting up," she said languidly, yawning. "The more kills I get to take, I suppose." A great deal - for her - depended on what would happen during all this liberation and raiding. She didn't plan to stay, of course, but she would at least see if this initial attempt was successful. 

"I'm Basaina, by the way. The Wildfire." As if she couldn't resist tossing her title out there - she had been high ranked, after all. Proof, perhaps, that she was a good enough fighter to earn some respect, either from the Golden Terror or the Alakazam, or even both if she was feeling optimistic. She wasn't a blundering idiot like the Togetic; she was _very_ good at killing, and since that was what she was signing up to do at the moment, it fit. 

"You, Lucario, thank you for healing me. I'm quite grateful. I'll try very hard not to kill you by accident or anything," she barked mockingly, muscles tense as she swept her gaze over the group she had chosen. "So are we going to go or what?"


----------



## Cloudsong

Flye groaned as he watched the pokemon split into groups...this isn't what he'd expected when he escaped. He had expected a well organized group of pokemon who wanted to help free the pokemon who hadn't escaped yet, not blood-thirsty monsters only wanting more bloodshed. For a pokemon as smart as Alakazam to forget the whole point of liberating the others...sigh...things would only get harder as things progressed. Flyte wasn't even sure what he should do now, his old plan had basically been made obsolete by this new turn of events.

He stood to his feet, feeling the healing effects of wish finally begin to work, filling him with fresh energy. They called Togetic a useless pokemon...but Smile had talents that they could have harnessed if they weren't so busy competing over who would run the group. Flyte was half tempted to leave right then and there; he didn't want to waste any time with foolish power tripping fighters. But if he left, what would happen to everyone else? They would fight, ill organized and alone, and they would die ill organized and alone. 

Flyte walked over to Alakazam's group and, carefully weaving his way around the others so not to bump into anyone, stood next to the alakazam.

"Sir Frollo? What exactly do you plan on doing? So let's just imagine for a moment that you get to the Viridian Pits, and you fight and destroy the 'rabble' as you call them. Then what? You're gonna go to the next pit and do the same thing? The humans will just keep rebuilding their pits and keep forcing pokemon to battle. Maybe you don't value it as much, sir, but the freeing of the trapped pokemon is no less important than the clearing of the 'rabble'. You're incredibly smart...but don't let it go to your head. If you treat pokemon like the humans treat pokemon...then you're no better than them. I'm sorry, but it's the blunt, unsugar-coated truth. Surely someone as intelligent as you understands this."

Unused to making speeches, especially to someone by far his superior in both battling skills and reputation, he gulped and waited for the reply. Nervousness was biting at his stomach but he forced his gaze to be clear and strong as he looked at the Alakazam. It took every last bit of will-power not to look away.


----------



## Mai

Everybody was splitting up... but Smile didn't know where to go. Everyone was arguing, and people were making their own groups and she had no idea who the real leader was. Xhan still hadn't said what he was doing, so... how was she supposed to choose? The nice healer eevee might need help... he had collapsed. Why was that, anyway? Maybe she should protect him?

_He might need help again..._

The togetic flew over to the eevee, who had just finished chewing out the strict alakazam.

_He wants to be leader too much... I think the lucario was right. Leaders should be nice, not mean and strict!_

Once the eevee had finished his speech, the normal-flying type asked him softly, too quiet for the alakazam to hear, "Hey, uh... nice wing eevee healer? My name's Smile. Do you need any help? Where are you going? Because if you faint again.... especially from healing people... thanks, by the way... I want to help. I know wish. And protect. So you'll be fine! And...  maybe Xhan can help too? I don't know... so many people here are grumpy... but you're nice! And so is Xhan!" Smile grinned politely, ending on a happy note.

_I like him... the eevee's a nice friend. And I like my plan. I'm proud of it!_


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic smiled and returned the shake. She seemed like she would be a good choice in friend. He didn't know much about battling, so the nicknames being thrown about went over his head. But it didn't matter. These were his allies now and he'd sooner kill whoever attacked them then leave them in the hands of their oppressors. "I have no doubt we will be." He said, in response to her suggesting they could be friends.

As she turned her attention to the little one, he smiled at the Riolu. But at the suggestion of her being blind his eyes widened. "Are you certain?" He asked Pali, before leaning a little to the Riolu. She didn't seem to notice him...or even Pali for that matter. She just kept petting the cotton in her paws. 
"What's your name?" He ventured. He wasn't sure whether to expect an answer or not, but it seemed best to ask anyway.


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan's eyes continued to glance back at the Alakazam, and the thought of going with their group when they weren't looking occured to him... Though, in truth, he'd almost certainly be wounded as a result, if not killed. _Hm... What to do..._ He looked back at the group he intended to join. _Man, that job can't be much fun... But it's all I can do for now._ 

"Alright, I'm over here." And he went to the side with the Quilava, as directed. _Though to be honest, you would suck as a parent, Froo-Froo._ He scurried up the nearest tree by the group, sitting on a branch, and dangling his legs as he had before.


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate

Raising a hidden eyebrow, Hoss slowly sidled slightly closer to Edward and Sheila. He was most decidedly _not _one for unbridled destruction, or 'cleansing' for that matter. Their mission had always been removing the innocent pokémon from the pits, nothing more or less, and some upstart alakazam and his first-mate arcanine.

Honestly, all of this posturing and debate wasn't a marowak's style. Canines, felines, quadrupeds in general, really – they mostly enjoyed the dancing and prancing about of their kind, growling and raising lips and such. Sure, marowak had border disputes, sometimes even small wars, but at least they were straightforward about it...

And now the foreign riolu was cuddling a vaguely familiar-looking erufuun. How nice.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo gave a tired sigh at the questioning words of the flying Eevee.

"As I have just said to that Riolu, this is a job on two fronts. One of the groups must do as much fighting as they can so as to provide cover fire to the other group, who will be doing the actual task of liberation. Divide and conquer, as it were." He glared at the Persian, "that's what it _should_ be, at any rate. As one of the most long-lived fighters of the pits, and one with a victory record that is over one hundred and twenty, I thought it would be wise if I spearheaded the cover fire group. I thought I had made that very clear to the Riolu, but if you want a complete breakdown of the process, then so be it. This would be the fourth time that I told you to make your decision carefully"

He then turned his attention to the Arcanine.

_She's the Wildfire? Given the way she seemed to hobble into the meeting, this is certainly a surprise. Perhaps she was simply brutally wounded during her escape, and that weakened her first impression.

Should I be surprised that my identity is rather unknown among them? I have lived long, and those weak trainers did hide me away for some time... so I suppose not. I suppose not at all._

"We'll be moving out very shortly," he said, "in fact, if everyone who wishes to be in this group is on it, then we can move out now."


----------



## Cloudsong

The Togetic came over to him as he waited for the reply from the Alakazam.

_"Hey, uh... nice wing eevee healer? My name's Smile. Do you need any help? Where are you going? Because if you faint again.... especially from healing people... thanks, by the way... I want to help. I know wish. And protect. So you'll be fine! And... maybe Xhan can help too? I don't know... so many people here are grumpy... but you're nice! And so is Xhan!"_ She asked him.

Flyte laughed gently at all the questions and tried to answer.

"Well..first off, my name's Flyte, not nice wing eevee healer." He smiled at the thought. "And sure, I could use your help. I'm sure these brutes could too, though they're too stubborn to admit it. I'm sure they'd love a little Protect covering them if something goes wrong. Which does tend to happen. I'm probably gonna go with these guys just for healing support, and then I'll heal the pokemon we help escape, once it's all over. I'll probably definitely need some wish-ing to get through it all, though."

Flyte looked back at the Alakazam as he answered. Flyte thought over what he said before nodding slowly. 

"It makes sense..I can't really disagree with your plan, no matter how much I dislike how you treat those who don't help you. Alright. I suppose I'm with you all."


----------



## wolftamer9

Lurkky just stood there. He had greeted them politely but they didn't seem to notice him. 
he didn't know what to make of all of this; he couldn't really follow the conversation either. apparently they were escapees or something, but that was all he could tell. they certainly looked strange, but compared to the things he had seen in the pits, they were almost normal.

"Um, hello," he said, "who are all you people? could someone please fill me in as to what's going on?"

suddenly he realized that he couldn't hear himself speak. he couldn't move his arms or legs, either. everything turned white.

GRRROOWWOWWOW!

he felt his body move out of his control. Death again. but this time he hadn't blacked out. this worried him. he leaped into the air and tried to slash an eevee who was standing there.


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate

Sometimes heightened awareness of intruders was a good thing, it turned out.

A flash of grey-on-black-on-grey. Claws extended, silhouette stretching at the winged eevee not too far away. Flashes of slashing attacks, bites, and assorted attacks spangled Hoss's vision even as he leaped into action, sliding in front of the eevee even as he brought his bone to bear above his head; the thick, ancient bone had taken far more abuse than this in the pits. Flames, ice, scythes and claws of all kinds and even stranger weapons, this bone had withstood them all long before it had fallen into Hoss's possession.

"Help would be good!" he bellowed quickly in the seconds before he expected the attack to strike.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Despite having less-than perfect reflexes (while unenhanced, at any rate,) Frollo's sharp eye saw the Mightyena take a combat stance. He figured out what was going to happen, but not enough to strike the beast down before it made its move.

Rather, the moment the Mightyena made a leap for the winged Eevee, Frollo switched both of his spoons into longswords. Even as the Marowak leaped at the Mightyena, Frollo was focusing psychokinetic energy into his muscles, just to put them into peak reaction time. And not one second after the Marowak called for help, Frollo made a leap so that he was behind the Mightyena, and then delivered a slash with one sword, aiming for its hind legs.

_Was this a spy?_ Frollo wondered as he delivered the attack, _or is there something mentally... incorrect with this creature?_


----------



## Cloudsong

((ninja'd, editing post now))
((edited)

Flyte heard a vicious snarl and someone skid behind him, shouting "Help would be good!". He spun around, eyes wide, to see the Marowak in front of him, a mightyena leaping for him, claws extended. The Alakazam suddenly disappeared from behind him and re-appeared behind the mightyena, moving so fast he was a blur. Wielding longswords, he slashed at the mightyena. Flyte stood there, mouth gaping in surprise, trying to comprehend why the mightyena attacked HIM out of all these pokemon. Convenience, probably. But still, why? Regardless, the attack wasn't over yet. He closed his eyes and channeled his energy to the Marowak to provide extra energy and to soften any blows he might take, a soft glow emanating from him as he did so.


----------



## Stormecho

((Argharghargh, double ninja'd))

Basaina had barely noticed the Mightyena, mostly because she had been either ranting and injured, or preoccupied with being healed. Now, however, she had the perfect opportunity to help, as the Marowak asked, and she was more than happy to comply. The Alakazam had teleported there, and no doubt her opponent would be weakened and distracted. Perfect. Springing at the Mightyena to throw it to the side with her superior weight and bulk, she snarled, the sound filled with savage joy. Battle wasn't overthinking and consequences and doubt because of what had happened - it was wonderfully simple. Dodge or be hit. Kill or be killed. 

Maybe that was why she was perfectly happy with a leader that ruled only through strength, because that was what she had always been used to. She did not fear or regret bloodshed, but looked forward to it - and right now, she would have done anything to have her world go back to the simplicity it had held in the arena. Hopefully pinning the Mightyena down - it was the wrong colour, but that wasn't particularily odd considering how many in the pack were the same - she paused, lowering her head and letting flames billow from her jaws, dangerously close to its neck. 

She would have preferably gone for the throat and thus eliminated the whole problem, but half of the pack seemed inclined to be merciful, and given the 'struggle' for leadership, she wasn't exactly going to make hasty decisions, no matter how much her own inner fire demanded blood. "Oh, _fun_. What should I do, oh great and wise leaders?"


----------



## Mai

"Hehe! Yeah, sure! I'm great at wishing! And our names are symbolic, aren't they? Me, Smile, with my smiles, and you, Flyte, with your wings! Isn't it cool?" Smile asked happily.

_We're like... the symbolic name duo! _

A slightly angry hello. Then, attack. The mightyena hurled towards Flyte.

"I'll help!"

Smile hurled up a protect over Flyte, then adding one over the marowak. It was tiring, and slightly annoying, but the togetic concentrated and put up over the alakazam.

"Stop please! Don't attack Flyte!" She begged.

The arcanine rushed at the mightyena, pinning him down. He asked what to do. 

_It's obvious! Why not just wait for him to calm down?_

But she wasn't really one of the leaders, so she kept silent.


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

It all happened too fast for her to comprehend. She was thinking about Spoono as an ally one moment... contemplating what would come of this alliance... hmm... 

And the next, that Mightyena just went nuts out of nowhere. And seemed to come out of nowhere too. When was there a Mightyena? She must have not been paying attention... it reminded her of something though.

She shook off the vague thoughts that were coming to her and also got into her attack stance. The others were especially hasty; speed was not Naxalge's specialty. She wasn't really in the mood to fight, but she didn't want to look weak either... especially not in front of him. 

So as the Arcanine tried to pin the Mightyena down, she approached it from an angle that none of the others seemed to be standing in, her scythe posed and ready as the darkness bristled from her tinged fur. In case it tried to escape... she would catch it by surprise. Surrounding it seemed to be best. She would do nothing... for now. The others seemed to have had that covered.


----------



## wolftamer9

((sorry if that was sudden, I didn't know how else to introduce my character.))

Lurkky suddenly found himself in control. he yelled out in pain. he looked up fearfully at the arcanine. he had never experienced Death's control while conscious before. this was bad. he could feel the wounds all over his body from the fight. they were worse than anything he had ever been exposed to before.

"wait, stop! I'm in control now!"
over all the ruckus nobody seemed to hear him. the arcanine snarled at him, waiting for an answer.
"I'm sorry, now please let me go!"
obviously he wasn't trusted. He tried to push her back with his remaining adrenaline, but couldn't. He rolled out of the way and lay there panting.
"Look, I'm sorry," he said, "I couldn't control myself."


----------



## RespectTheBlade

Xenon had been watching all of this from a distance, and decided he should help. He sprang over, his blades crackling with electricity. He was about to attack, but the mightyena screamed something out.

"wait, stop! I'm in control now!"

Xenon questioned the Mightyena.

"What do you mean by 'in control'?"


----------



## Exo-Raikou

After seeing how rapidly all of the others went after the Mightyena, Frollo could now say that at least the Arcanine would be spared following the battle, as well as the Marowak.

Then the Mightyena began to sputter something about being in control. Frollo narrowed his eyes upon hearing this; he had heard the "control" excuse used before in the arena by cowardly opponents that had been beaten back.

"Why should we believe that you have anything that stopped your 'control' to begin with?" Frollo demanded, moving the blade closer to the Mightyena's throat, "how can we be sure that you won't 'lose control' again at a later date? How can we be sure that your 'loss of control' will not result in the deaths of those that this Pack intends to liberate?"

He stared down at the Mightyena without a shred of mercy in his eyes. "how can we be sure that you won't end up being a liability in the long run?"


----------



## Stormecho

((...I would ask you to not control my character when I have not posted her backing away. Not only is that rude, but it's powerplaying and most definitely against the rules.))


----------



## Dark Shocktail

((





wolftamer9 said:


> his third eye glowed. as if against her own will, the arcanine backed away.


Hi. *NO.* You don not take control of other people's characters. It's called godmodding and is not only _highly_ frowned upon, it makes people very...displeased. So no. You character didn't make Storme's back off. You wanted your character to have attention and now you've got it. You may not know /how/ to introduce a character but it's subtle; The others milled around, looked for people to talk to one to one. Yours came in and attacked someone. 

And also, capital letters at the start of your sentences please. 

EDIT: Damnit, ninja'd.))


----------



## Mai

((Uh, I'm not sure if Stormecho minds that much, but you are't supposed to control other people's characters. And really, who knows if Smile would've noticed, or anyone else? I don't want to be rude, but maybe you should edit or keep it in mind or something?))

EDIT: Ninja'd. But listen to everybody else who said what I said.


----------



## Cloudsong

Seeing as the apparent danger was over for the moment, Flyte stopped the flow of energy from him to Marowak and walked over to the Mightyena. ((Maybe still pinned, maybe not? Not really sure on this.))

"You said you're not in control...and what Alakazam said is a very good point. If you're not in control, then who is? And why did you or it attack me?" Flyte asked, hesitantly. He was poised to quick attack away should the Mightyena attack again.


----------



## Mai

((I don't know. I mean, I think we're waiting for wolftamer to edit his post or something. Really, you might have to just write a whole new post once he's done.))


----------



## wolftamer9

((Ok, sorry, I won't do it again. I wasn't sure what is or isn't godmodding here based on what everyone can do, but I'm starting to see what's [way] too much. I can edit the post if you want. And it was hard to follow what was going on and see how to introduce my character after being unable to get on the site for a few days. again, I'm sorry.))

Lurkky pulled himself off the ground. "It was Death. Death wants to kill. I don't know why, but he wants others dead."

he was still getting looks after his bizarre entrance.

"I know I can't stop myself from losing control, and I can see that you all have an important agenda, and I don't want to interfere. But you seem strong enough to restrain it."

He decided it was best to sit back down. "And proof that I'm safe now? well I guess I have none. But feel free to keep watch over me. Actually I'd prefer it."


----------



## Exo-Raikou

((Might I recommend when this is resolved, we all delete the OOC posts, as was done in Legends of the Elemental Ones? It would make reading the thread as a whole easier.))

Frollo wasn't convinced. The notion that "Death" had taken partial control of this Mightyena was, at best, a laughable notion.

_And yet..._

Many of these beings here had stories that were likely just as laughable; Frollo doubted that people would consider him a worthwhile ally if they knew exactly why he had been... rotated out of the pits in recent years. He was sure that whatever story the Persian had, it was just as ludicrous as the Mightyena's, if not more.

"Very well," he said, switching his blades to spoons, "but you're coming with my group; I want to personally keep an eye on you. Does that sound... what's the word that most would use... 'reasonable?'"


----------



## Stormecho

((I take it you're new to roleplaying? :/ Powerplaying always makes me quite angry, but I don't like conflict and slinging insults and harsh words around is never good. The sentence is (much lighter) powerplaying, where you take the result as a given fact. Note that even when Bas pinned him, I wrote 'hopefully', giving you the choice to accept the situation or not. Given my character is six feet tall and significantly heavier, pushing her away would be insanely difficult, though I'd be more than fine with you saying that he _attempted_ to push her off him.

EDIT: I'm sorry for totally clogging up the thread, guys. D:))


----------



## Wargle

((Um. How can I introduce myself?))


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

Naxalge scoffed at his excuse as she relaxed her battle stance slightly. She tossed her head back in exasperation. So she didn't get to hurt anything... damn. And yet... good at the same time. No though, she needed to really get back that bloodthirsty feeling. She hoped she'd get it back in the future.

"Looks like it's another crazy. I've seen these guys before... they say they hear voices in their heads or something. Gone nuts from too much experimenting, it happens to a lot of them. It's kinda sad..." She paused for a moment and there seemed to be a brief glimpse of sorrow in her eyes. Perhaps she too was one of those crazies... they didn't have to know that though. 

"More ridiculous than sad though." And her voice went back to its taut harshness. "I'll just let you know, _Crazy_, if you leap at me like that, well... I really won't hesitate to rip out your throat. They don't call me the Horrid Queen for nothing."

With that, she began to turn around to walk away from the others. Then she stopped to look at them all briefly and expectantly. "Well then, are we going to get going now before anything else _stupid_ interrupts?"


----------



## RespectTheBlade

Xenon stared at Naxalge in agreement.

"I do think we should be off, if possible. Claude, do you have any plans as to where to go?"

Xenon leaned against a rock, awaiting a response.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"Our destination is the nearest pit," Frollo said to the Gallade, "and I believe that it was mentioned earlier that Viridian city was the location of such a place. So, given that we've settled most of our affairs..."

He turned around and began to walk down the route.

"...we'd better get going. I don't want any more delays than necessary, if any delay could be called as such."

As he was walking he turned over Naxalge's threat to the Mightyena in his mind. While it wasn't the threat itself that bothered him, it was the sentence after that: The Absol had called herself the Horrid Queen.

_I know I've heard that name somewhere... and I know it isn't just another one of those fighters that everyone seems to remember these days... though come to think of it, I can't remember what my title was during my most prominent days in the pit... perhaps that would be justification for their forgetfulness.

Horrid Queen... Horrid Queen... what sort of fame have you accumulated in the pits?_

His memory did not provide an answer as he walked onward.


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina grinned as he tried to get away from her, but she took a step back as everyone decided to interrogate him, snorting scornfully. A weakling, and a _stupid_ one at that, for attacking a group of pitfighters, escaped or not. The Alakazam apparently decided to keep him close, and she growled softly, gaze settling on the Absol. "The Horrid Queen, eh? I've heard of you," she remarked. "Your name's Naxalge?" Another contemptous look at the Mightyena as the Arcanine stretched out once more, relishing her renewed strength. 

"She's not the only one who'll happily kill an attacker," she informed him. "But you might know that already, yes? I could have torn your throat out if I felt like it." It hadn't been a boast - she could have simply gone through the most natural motion to her, rather than waiting to see if the pack wanted him alive yet or not. With that threat delivered, she shook herself once more. "I'm ready to go kill some more," she declared, a vicious grin showing that she would be enjoying her temporary stay, as long as it involved slaughtering the opposition. Padding after Frollo, she kept to his right, ears pricked and ready if someone - either the crazy Mightyena or some other Pokemon - decided to attack when her back was turned.

Better to just lock onto a target and let herself move towards it, not thinking, not feeling - just enjoying her own power and the roar of the fire in her mind. Otherwise she would end up like the Jolteon she had faced, dead in a moment of mercy. Better to just kill and kill and kill... Better that than to let herself falter and weaken.


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward watched the...fluffy creature he couldn't quite identify use her fluff to calm the wailing Riolu, and smiled. He didn't seem to mind the approach of the Raichu, either.  The smile faded quite quickly, however, when he set his mind back on what his mission was. He started to walk towards the area ahead.

"Sheila, can you carry her? Fuzzy, Sparks, and Bones can come too," he said, noticing the Marowak getting closer to them. "I dunno if Mutt wants to come, but I ain't gunna fight it if he does. Let's go."

With that, the feline Pokemon sped up his pace, tail swishing.

"I don't care what you think of us, but know this: I have never lost a battle in my life!" He laughed, his last message to the ones he left behind.


----------



## see ya

Pali looked over at the Golden Terror. Assuming "Fuzzy" referred to herself, she was a bit surprised she was being acknowledged by him at all, much less in a positive way. She wasn't about to complain about this, and if it let her get away from that creepy Alakazam and that mean Absol, well she was more than willing to go along with it. 

"I'll go with you..." she said to the Persian calmly, yet shyly, "If by "Fuzzy" you were talking about me... I'd be happy to help you... and the little one there... though I don't think she can see you... or anything for that matter..." 

Pali stood by the Persian's group, still letting the Riolu paw her fluff as needed.


----------



## Zora of Termina

Sheila nodded at the... fluffy thing, and the Raichu. "Let's go." she picked up the Riolu with a tail, ensuring that the little one would have enough fluff for now to keep her calm. Poor little dear... rendered blind by Arceus knows what. Human experimentation, sheer bad drawing in the gene pool... 

...but thankfully the child hadn't seen battle. There was hope for her.

And now that Halan knew this child was his daughter, he had no choice but to come, since he would know that she had no intention of leaving her behind with these cretins.. and morons. Didn't need a child exposed to Sparkles or Froofroo or the bitchy Absol, after all.

_He chose a nice name for her... I think I'll call her Anny. She needs a nickname._ Sheila smiled at the thought as she followed Edward into the thicket.


----------



## Mai

They were all angry at the mightyena, and for good reason, but Smile was only happy that everything was alright.

_I guess my protect wasn't needed after all!_

Then, the absol was talking to him one last time. She was sad,  but kind of superior about him, like being different was bad, or that it's his fault.

_I'm sure he's a nice person inside..._

Naxalge ended up calling herself the horrid queen.

_That's kind of sad,_ Smile thought. _She's not horrid..._

"You're not horrid at all, Naxalge! You're pretty nice," The togetic inputted cheerfully.

The alakazam said it was time to leave, but the normal-flying type was still unsure about Xhan. Was he coming?

"Xhan? Are you coming with my and Flyte?" Smile asked, gesturing to the winged eevee beside her. "We're going to heal people!"


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

(Dang! Ninjaed! Edited in now.)

The Absol grinned as she saw the Arcanine's death threat to that pathetic Mightyena and chuckled. That might've been fun to watch, that might've been the thing to do it. She especially relished the glare at the Mightyena. If there was anything she liked more, it was other people mocking each other. She fell a bit behind to walk alongside the Arcanine.

"Heh, yeah, that's my name. I didn't think I was so famous, but someone who's heard of me! Aww, I'm flattered." She seemed rather sarcastic; her voice becoming filled with a sort of brand of snarkiness that only Naxalge could deliver.

"And you, you're not as insignificant or nothing as I thought... you're the Wildfire, huh? One who burns them all? Might've misjudged you, I might've. But mind you, I don't take a liking to just _anyone._" A large sardonic sort of grin spread across her expression. For Naxalge, this was a compliment.

Then she heard that disgusting sparkling ball of false happiness address her.

"...Nice? You think I'm _nice_? ...Wow, you just... you've stunned me into silence with your _utter stupidity_, you filthy ball of sparkles. Hey, Sprinkleass, I don't think you were paying attention!" Once again, she took on that mockingly happy tone, which was drenched with sarcastic malice. "That title's pretty accurate, I am pretty horrid, and I like it that way. Oh and I want to kill you too, so does most everyone in this group except for the fellow idiots. I wonder what title they gave you though... don't think you were worth one, but let's see if you were! Uh... uh... let me think... maybe... the Retarded Sparkle of Idiocy? Oh yes, that sounds exactly like you! Now I've proven my point, titles are _very accurate_."


----------



## Black Yoshi

"Yeah, I'm... Wait." He looked at Smile. "Do you mean, heal _them_, or the Pokemon in the cages? I planned on going to the cages." He said, unsure of what exactly she meant. _Something's wrong with her. Really. Saying the Absol isn't 'horrid.' I think I might've heard of her before. I know for sure I've heard of Goldy..._ Xhan's mind continued to wander in such a fashion, until he caught himself thinking about butterflies that could eat water and drink food.


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte turned and watched the Alakazam and Arcanine and Absol begin walking away and sighed. Why did everyone have to make things so difficult? Smile shouted something across to the riolu a little ways away and the riolu seemed kind of confused. Oh well. He was free to come with them if he wanted. Flyte turned to Smile and asked "Are you ready to go? Or are you going with Xhan instead?"


----------



## Mai

"I'm going with you. I was just seeing if Xhan wanted to go. He said he's going to the cages. Is that where we're going? I don't think so... right?" Smile asked. _I hope he's coming. That way all my friends will be there!_

"I don't think so, Xhan. I think we're going the other way." She replied loudly.

"I am kind of sparkly, aren't I?" The togetic said to Naxalge, not really hearing her. "I don't think I had a title, though... maybe I was 'Metronome' or something! I was good at metronome... but I don't know."


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina snorted as the Absol decided to respond. "I'm sure you are. Mostly because you were being mentioned in bets and the like, you know? I was expecting to fight you soon," she answered. The mention of her own title made the Arcanine grin, baring her fangs in what was a promise of pain more than an expression of joy. "The one who burns them all? Yes, I am that," she responded, eyes lighting up with a mix of pride and malicious glee. "It seems this pack's attracting quite a lot of us, eh? You, me, the Golden Terror, the all-wise Alakazam..." She barked a laugh. "I'm pretty sure the Ninetales and the Lucario are fighters too. Not like half of these..."

As the Togetic approached Naxalge, she rumbled a growl, clearly pleased with what was going on. This was something she was familiar with, hostility and threats and the choice of backing down or being ripped apart. Concern and pity and mercy were worlds apart, fairytales in comparison to what she knew as true. "You should leave now, Sparkles," she advised. "I doubt you're fireproof, and it's so easy to miss in the mayhem of a fight." With an exaggerated yawn that showed off her fangs and the wisps of flame that flickered around them, she finished with a lazy snap at the air. It felt good to not be faltering and weakened, both in body as well as mind.


----------



## ....

"Let's go already, the others are leaving!" Leo shouted as he began to follow Frollo's group.

_The Wildfire, the Golden Terror, the Horrid Queen... what did those all mean?

_Leo thought long and hard about the last one.

_Naxalge... it seems like a fitting name for her, considering she's practically evil.
_
He smirked, his flames growing slightly.


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

"Expecting to fight me, huh? Maybe you'll get your wish someday. Since I've escaped, I've been itching to get my... stride back." She let out a bit of a yawn, her grin growing a bit wider. But unlike many of her grins... this one was... less sarcastic and more genuine. So somebody had thought her worthy of fighting... she'd never had that feeling before. He'd always say she was worthless. 

"What would you expect from a pack like this, huh? Bunch of escaped rabid Pokémon trained to kill by those humans, 'course we'd gather up some of the best fighters. The Ninetales and the Lucario certainly did look interesting... bit less stupid than the rest of these idiots... though I certainly don't agree with their ideals. They're still idiots, but in a different way." 

Well, well! Another entertaining insult from the Wildfire. Ha, if she didn't know any better, she thought maybe she could get used to this company she was keeping... they were mostly amusing in their own ways. Never did she thought she'd join up with an injured Arcanine who was healed and seemed weak and an Alakazam who brought order to the chaos...

Naxalge then added, to the Arcanine's burn threat of Sparkles: "Miss? Who's talkin' about missing? Oh in the mayhem, no... I think I might hit my _target_ exactly."


----------



## Exo-Raikou

On the move towards Viridian, Frollo's mind began to drift back to his accomplishments in the days before his "rotation."

_So many enemies that were slain by my power... so many unworthy foes, and so many that were worthy, and yet fell before my power regardless... ah, those were satisfying days. Truly, I have not found any worthy opponents in quite some time.

During those days, I remember... I was truly a blade of judgment... I wonder if that was my title during my prime? I doubt anyone would remember._

His thoughts shifted back to Xhan. That was another pokemon he would have to keep an eye on; his friendship with the Togetic would become a liability if... no, _when_ the latter became the worthless load in battle. At least that fool wasn't going along with their group.

_Or maybe it would have been beneficial,_ Frollo thought, _then I could kill it when the need arose... and it would arise, oh it would definitely arise._

With that, Frollo continued his walk.


----------



## wolftamer9

Lurkky, under close watch, walked with the group. He listened closely to their sarcastic conversation. It seemed sad that everyone was talking about fighting. He thought that this group was against fighting, yet their breeding seemed to have warped their minds. They wanted them to hurt each other, and it seemed like some of them shared their philosophy.

_I'm surprised they never took a liking to Death._
He took that back. That was unfair. But it was true. And he thought Death was the only one who wanted others _dead_. Not just wounded, but specifically dead._ Not alive._

He decided to voice his thoughts.
"I don't understand, how can so many of you be so bloodthirsty? I always hated fighting. Everyone always trying to kill each other isn't necessary. I mean think of the lives we could have lived otherwise."


----------



## Dark Shocktail

"I assume Sparks means me." Dominic said, following Edward. The pace was such that he could walk on two legs and keep up. He was glad to leave the more bloodthirsty of their group behind. Perhaps it was partly because of his lab background, but he didn't see the glory in their battle statistics. His wasn't perfect. Sometimes he'd hold back and end up being surprised with an attack and other times he was simply beaten. But his enemy - their enemy - was never other pokemon. Not in his eyes. So he saved his brutality for those who deserved it. 

For a moment he remembered his escape, under Cassandra's guidance. The first bloodshed had been her. For a moment she calmed them, the group of escapees, and grabbed their attention by seizing hold of one of the humans in the white coats. She lifted him up and... Dominic shivered a little, remembering the way she had torn the bones from the human's chest and dropped them to the floor, before flinging his body carelessly. It had made him realise how much damage they could do to the humans and raised the question of why he'd been so obedient, so unresisting before?

He shook his head a little. That time was over. He moved forward comfortably. "Although, my name is Dominic." He added, not really wanting to be known as 'Sparks' throughout their travels.


----------



## Bluberry Bat

Anny's ears laid back woefully, like a child who had just broken a lamp and didn't understand what they've done wrong.
"'See'... What.. is see? Humans... they said I cannot see... is... is bad? Ya ne hoteel..."
She clung tighter to Pali's fluff as she spoke, and even tighter when there were more threatening sounds - but she felt so much safer like this.
"Name..." She muttered, returning to the previous question. "Father said I had.. name.. It was... Anastasiya... Ana.. stasia... Eto dovol'no.."


----------



## Anomaly 54

((Ffffuuuu-)

Paza stumbled along after the Absol grimly. The few times he'd spoken, he'd been mostly ignored. He might as well just tag along. Hearing the others talk about the names they'd been given in the ring, he wondered if he had a ring-name. _It sure would be awesome, to have people know you before you know them. Confusing, but awesome._


----------



## Sylph

_Quite the scene ve have now. Two sides and one that looks to be more in my favour _

He glances at the Arcanine, Basaina the Wildfire, and smiles a bit with a bowed head. "Aye...I do hope ve vill meet again. Hopefully vhen things are much more...pleasant. But I have loyalities to get too and a Daughter to vatch over. If you ever feel the need to, find us. I vill like to talk more vith you, my dear Basaina" he mutters before turning on his heel and walked after Edxard and gang. He falls into step and watched the cat silently, debating to smack him upside the head lightly or just leave him be for now.

He smiled when he overhead him ask someone to hold Anny. "I can do that, Cat. Anastasiya vill be safe vith me." He cheerfully remarked, closing the distance to where they all walked and glanced to Shelia with a soft smile. His eyes flick back to the other pack and rested on the Arcanine and Riolu, a heavy feeling in his heart as he imagined the fate that may befall them under the leadership of the blood thirsty.

"Chto proizoĭdet, proizoĭdet...vhat vill happen vill happen" he sighed sadly, looking back to his daughter and watched her hold onto the new pokemon. He couldn't remember if he ever faced one like this poofy-one, though he couldn't remember most of his battle. He leans down and picks both his daughter and the fluffy one into his arms as to not upset Anny.


----------



## see ya

Pali felt herself lift off the ground, but it wasn't the wind this time. Blue and black paws had wrapped around her, picking up both her and the Riolu.

"Ah.... oh, you picked me up... that's okay... just don't throw me... you might scare the Riolu that way, and it seems like she... did she say her name was Anastasiya...? Anyway, it seems she's just calmed down... and we don't want to make her scared again... By the way...my name's Pali..."

She nuzzled a little into the Lucario's chest. Though she didn't know him very well, it was true that he was warm... _Maybe he's as warm on the inside..._ Pali thought idly.


----------



## River

Allum sighed, all this talk of titles. Why not just be known by who you are? Against his will he remembered the title he had been given on his fiftieth win, 'Changer'. It seemed idiotic and unimaginative to him, but also suitable. He had changed his alliance and now he was changing the path of the pits.

With a start he realised that the Alakazam had begun to step away, while the others were drowned in conversation he sneaked away and began to plod along by the Pokemons side. "Whether you like me or not I'll be joining you on the battlefront." He took a short breath and picked his words carefully, "I believe my skills would be best used on the front line. As well as that I'd like to see how a few of the top fighters I've heard of fare against the security." 

He stopped his talking, truly he wanted to judge this Alakazam's personality. He knew tales of the others fights and from what he had seen today. But he didn't recall anything about this pokemon, 'Perhaps he was simply not that famous?' He pondered that for a while but pushed the thought aside, no pokemon with skills as his could go without notice.

So who was this pokemon?

The question rested in his mind unanswered. Without even a hint of what he was getting himself into by doing this. Too late for him to change his path now. He shook his head slightly and put a dull smile on his face as he anticipated the show to come.


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina laughed. "I might get my wish? Isn't that foreboding... I'll look forward to seeing how quickly you can take out whatever rabble we're supposed to be facing." The grin widened, and she snapped at the air again, pace almost jaunty with eagerness to fight. As the Mightyena spoke up, she turned to look back at him. "The lives we could have lived? What are you talking about? I was born underground and sold as a pup to be raised for battle. I'm betting it was the same for most of the pack, or at least our little group. Battle and killing things is all I know, all any fighter knows. Or are you so special that you didn't grow up being told to kill your opponent?"

She glowered, the look loaded with scorn. He hadn't impressed her with his futile leap at one of the Eevees, and he certainly hadn't shown any skill. It had been so easy to pin him down... Pathetic. "Killing whatever wants to kill you is neccessary, but if you can't see that, I don't think you'll last long," she observed callously. She tossed her head and glanced at the other group that was also moving, eyes lingering on the Lucario for a moment. He had healed her - she had every right to feel grateful for it, but she would have to find some way to pay him back soon.

To Naxalge, she remarked, "We're attracting a lot of idiots, aren't we? Hopefully they'll thin out soon." She turned to look curiously at an Eevee that had decided to join up with them, and then the Meowth that also seemed to be following them. Neither looked amazingly tough, but the Eevee seemed to think he could fight, so she said nothing, only twitched an ear and kept walking.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"The Arcanine is right," Frollo said, not bothering to turn around, "There are no 'lives we could have led' in this rotten world. The mere fact that we are born into the pits signifies that we are locked into this lifestyle. Like it or not, you have nothing else to go for. You might want to see that as your motivation, though: make sure none have to go through what you did."

_And she's also right about killing what wants to kill you,_ he considered, _there is no room for weakness or hesitation in the heat of battle. If he doesn't understand that... well, then it will only be his fault when he dies._

He then heard the Meowth speak up about joining.

"Do what you want. Both groups will be facing peril in their journeys; if you feel that the group that has _more_ danger is your group, then by all means, go with us."


----------



## Littlestream

(Time Zones + School = Me being two pages behind.)

Following the group she had chosen, Astrid pondered the events before they had left. _I've seen that Mightyena before, haven't I? He went completely berserk and killed the Pokemon he was battling, then acted like he didn't have a clue what had happened. Poor thing... you could go crazy underground if you didn't have anyone to talk to. I was lucky._

Her thoughts then drifted to the other group. _Who do they think they are anyway? They all actually_ could _fight, the suffering was ten times worse for the rest of us! Being beaten to a pulp by bloodthirsty killers like them... and then having to go on, straight to another fight, without any time to recover! 

And those titles... I've heard of those pokemon, from the few who survived battles with them. If I ever had a nickname, it must have been "loser". I've never been a great battler, it seems a lot of us haven't... but that still doesn't make it right for those who were to act all high-and-mighty and order the rest of us around. I would have preferred it if the group could stick together. This way, all we'll end up being is a rag-tag bunch of outlaws, without any power to help the other Pokemon!_

"Was it really the right decision?" she wondered out loud "We all seem to hate each other, and nothing will get done like that. Maybe I would have been better off on my own..." She continued walking, wishing that she knew how to fix it all.


----------



## wolftamer9

"Like it or not, you have nothing else to go for. You might want to see that as your motivation, though: make sure none have to go through what you did."

Lurkky couldn't believe what he heard. The Alakazam and the Arcanine didn't seem to understand. For an incomprehensible number of years pokemon had been forced to kill each other, trained and taught as if it were as obvious as breathing.

"Of course I want to make sure nobody goes through it, but don't you know what that means? It doesn't just mean freeing everybody. If they all think like you do, then this kind of killing will happen with or without masters to tell us. We'll be dead within a matter of weeks. It's best we change while we can."

Lurkky's head throbbed.

_They'll rot if you let them live. The rot is far worse than death. If you kill with me, their rot will end._

He jumped. That was the voice of Death. This meant things were getting worse. The mechanics of his mind were starting to change. Death was beginning to take a permanent place in his head, an entirely separate mind. Lurkky's life had been taking a turn for the better, but things were going to balance out.


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte turned and noticed Alakazam and the others getting farther away, and began walking after them. He quick attack'd up to where they were and fell in step a little ways behind the Arcanine. He didn't want to get _too_ close. He noticed that other eevee walking next to the Alakazam. Well...at least he wasn't the only one of his kind in the group. A soft breeze caught his wings, making the feathers flutter in the wind momentarily. Well...sort of his own kind. He was rather saddened, though, about his shallow move pool. Were healing and running away all he was good for? Would he never be able to really fight for himself? The idea was depressing...he didn't want to have to rely on others all the time. And as long as he wasn't able to fight, he'd always be looked down upon in the group. Flyte sighed softly..


----------



## Mai

"Don't worry, Basaina, I'm fine! I can always use wish! In fact, that's why I'm coming! To wish up Flyte! Healing people makes him tired. Are you tired, too? You're yawning." Smile replied, ignoring the threat.

_So nice to be concerned for me... but I'm fine!_

Smile walked over to Flyte, not really paying attention to anyone else. He sighed and looked down... He was sad.

"Hey, are you okay, Flyte?" Smile asked. It seemed to be the breeze that made him sad... the breeze made her happy. After all, it reminded her of flying! But he hadn't flown at all yet... could he not fly? _I could help him!_

"You look kind of sad, Flyte. Do you not know how to fly? I can teach you if you want." The togetic smiled politely. _I don't want to offend him if he can fly._


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo gave another small grin when he realized that the Togetic _was_ in fact joining them, even if it was just because of that winged Eevee.

_Good. All I have to do is wait for a battle... or rather, an excuse to judge that Togetic for being unworthy, and then..._

Then, he heard the Mightyena speak up. Frollo gave another cold chuckle at these words.

"If those that the Pack frees end up being as vicious killers as we might expect, then so be it. As I just said, the world we live in is naught but a rotting mess, and only the strongest of us can survive through it. If we are simply destined to die prematurely because of our own actions, again, so be it. That was simply was meant to be for the world."

He continued on his walk. Viridian City was still some time away, and he hoped their group could arrive at the pits before the Perisan's.


----------



## Wargle

((Umm. Where is everyone? I need to introduce my character... ))


----------



## ....

((On the way to Viridian.))


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte looked up in surprise as Smile asked

_"Hey, are you okay, Flyte?"_

Flye smiled, glad that someone seemed to care, while Smile continued speaking.

_"You look kind of sad, Flyte. Do you not know how to fly? I can teach you if you want." The togetic smiled politely._

To be honest, Flyte was quite taken aback by both the offer and the fact that Smile had noticed. 

"Uhmm...Yeah, I'm okay. Just kind of feeling sorry for myself, I guess. No...I can't fly. Or at least, I haven't learned yet. Would you really try to teach me how?" Flyte looked at the sky hopefully, smiling, dreaming of the day when he could soar up there.


----------



## Mai

"Aww, sorry that you're kind of sad. But, you should look up! I can try to teach you! I'm not really a teacher, but I'll try. Now, first we have to think about flying. You're... in the air, suspended by nothing but your own wings. A bit spooky, huh? So, wing flapping has to be natural and rhythmic, right? So, do that. Flap your wings, and think about them holding you up. " Smile started unsurely. She wasn't really ever a teacher, always a learner. Plus, flying was natural. She didn't really know the steps.

She started flapping her wings, slowly but putting effort into it. It didn't really take that much power or effort to fly, but why not? Exaggerated examples would probably help. "Okay, so flying is like walking, but a little harder because gravity is pulling you down more. So walk with your wings. It'll be easy soon!" The togetic tried to be reeassuring and simple, after all, flying was easy for her. But she had no idea how tricky it would be for Flyte. But, Flyte was talented. I mean, look how he could heal!

_He's going to be flying soon, I know it!_


----------



## Sylph

Halan clicks his tongue, watching the faint aura of the other group silently as he walked. From what he could see, the puppet was thinking dark thoughts on harming one of his own to further his own 'importance'. He growled a little under his breath, then immdeately stop and look down at Anny and the fluffy one. He didn't want to scare them any further than was needed. The Fluffy one spoke, saying her name was Pali. She was a very calm aura, a good thing to have around a small child. He leans down and nuzzes his daughter, licking the side of her face a bit. He looked down at her eyes, wondering why there were the colours they were.

_Why aren't they blue...maybe something happened?_

Pushing it aside, he returns to watching the other group. They were taking their time at least, but they were still moving faster than he would have liked. After watching the aura if the Alakazam, he falls into step with Edward and brushed his tail on the cat's head to get his attention.

"They are making ground, Edvard. Ve need to speed up the trip if ve vant to beat that over-grown puppet. I suggest ve run" No sooner had he muttered this to the cat, he bolted off ahead of the group, holding his daughter and Pali to his chest as to not lose them on the way.

"Ne volnuĭtesʹ. Papa vyigral; T Let You Fall. Tolʹko derzhisʹ, i my poehatʹ tuda, gde my dolzhny bytʹ dostatochno skoro."


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward growled a bit at Halan's words, and sped up his own pace; his kind were limber and strong runners, so it wasn't hard to overtake the Lucario, his feet thudding loudly on the grass.  There was no way he could let that bag of hot air get the upper paw; he'd sooner eat his own lung.

"Come on, all of you! we don't have time to lose, I can't wait to see the look on the puppet's face when we beat his ass at everything!" The feline laughed, leaping over rocks and the odd branch.


----------



## Zora of Termina

Sheila was third to bolt, also overtaking Halan rather easily, but keeping herself just behind Ed.

_Damn... he has a nice-

"Don't you even say it."_ There was that voice again. It didn't sound like any of them... what was it?

She'd think about that later. Right now, she had to focus. Focus on beating that fucking overgrown puppet. So focused on killing... she bet that he would even be willing to murder children, and she'd be damned if she ever let that happen. If she caught him, or anyone, attempting harm on a child... she would rip them the fuck apart.

And so she kept running, determined to get there first.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

As he began to run, using his telekinetic powers to keep his muscles strong, Frollo could only wish he had the ability to mass teleport. It would make journeying to the city oh so easy.

_Even with that in mind, I have to keep track of countless who are likely unworthy. As it is, the Wildfire and Naxalge are the only ones that I can be sure will be safe during this coming battle. The others, though, can't be guaranteed..._

Frollo started to float, and turned to face those that were following him.

"We need to pick up the pace if we are to make any sort of progress to the city," he said, "anyone that is unable to keep pace with myself will be left behind."

With that, he went back to running, already preparing for the battle to come.

_Just watch, Persian. I will show you just how wrong you are._


----------



## Sylph

Halan grinned when both Edward and Shelia passed him, delighted to see that they were finally moving. He glanced to the side, eyes still glowing a pale blue to watch the other group. He lets out another annoyed growl and pushed forward more. "The Puppet has started to run as vell. Seems to be using something to make himself faster. Ve don't have much time until they all start running to the city." He yelled up to them, leaping onto a rock, then uses it as a springboard onto a tree branch. He continues to proceed to the next city by jumping from tree to tree, keeping an eye on the other group.

"It von't be long Edvard. Valking takes half an hour to get there. Running takes less...and you are faster than these pokemon. Ve should get there in plenty of time to assess the situation and prepare a good solid plan before the murder squad appears to foil our vork." He called down to them, holding his daughter and Pali tighter in his arms so he won't drop them as he jumped. He could feel his muscles loosening and tightening, threatening to lock up from running. He pushed through the pain and forced himself to go faster.

Its time like this he wished to have a little more power.

_"Careful...what you...wish for..."_

_Vhat vas that?_


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

The Absol grinned once again, a darkened grin, at Basaina’s statement about rabble. Though behind her grin was a bit of uneasiness. Now she had to prove herself worthy in front of these two new allies. He had always thought her unworthy… no matter how hard she tried. Would it be the same with them? What if she wasn’t… good enough? Well, she’d just have to try harder. She couldn’t be weak. Being weak in front of others like herself would be far more dangerous than that human, she knew that well.

The criticism of the Mightyena made her feel better and for the moment, she felt it was too sufficient and too perfect for her to join in. There was nothing for her to add; Wildfire had almost as sharp a tongue as her. Almost.  Spoono wasn’t so bad himself.

“Oh, I’m sure they will. There’s no place for idiots in a world like this. The weak of the herd will be culled out. I can’t wait in particular to see… Sprinkles gotten rid of.” She grinned nastily in the Togetic’s direction, then saw that Spoono was beginning to pick up the pace. She didn’t want to get left behind herself, even though she probably wasn’t really all that fast. Speed was not her specialty…

But Naxalge put her all into this run too.  She sprinted as quickly as she could after Spoono, ignoring her fatigue, her weakness, and stayed close behind him.

She needed to prove herself to them, and not only to them… but to him too.


----------



## Stormecho

The crazy Mightyena seemed to be trying to make some sort of point, but she found herself siding with Frollo without any argument. She knew what weakness was - _a pup cowering behind its mother as she accepted the blow meant for it_ - and to have the world filled with weaklings that held back the strong... There was something in that thought that made her uneasy, but she shrugged it away. Strength was all that was truly neccessary. Only the strong lived. It was the way of things for every part of her life since she had been born. 

Ignoring him, she twitched an ear as Frollo started to float. "Go faster? I thought you'd never ask. At this pace, a Slugma could beat us," she drawled, turning to eye the Pokemon trailing behind. Would they be able to keep up? Ah well, their own fault if they couldn't run fast enough.

Going from her almost lazy stride into a sprint, she grinned at Naxalge and Frollo. There was no doubt in her mind that she could keep up, or even outpace them, and she moved a bit closer, each easy surge forward matched to theirs. "Some of our rabble might not even keep up right now. What a shame," she said mockingly, glee creeping into her voice. "I wonder if I can burn the arena to the ground..." The fire would be glorious, an act of defiance to the world - but probably not something she could attempt at the moment.


----------



## Cloudsong

"Uhmm..okay. Let me try!" Flyte said after listening carefully to Smile's instructions. He began to run forward and flap his wings in time with his run as if he was walking on air with his wings. The air thrummed around the downstroke and Flyte had to be careful not to hit anyone, it would hurt. Slowly, ever so slowly, his feet left the ground and he was going forward, feet flailing underneath him. He tried to turn back towards Smile, shouting,

"I did it, Smi- Whoa!!" _Thud!!!_ Him trying to turn and shout had caused him to lose control, and he flipped and hit a tree. Hard. 

"Urgh..." He painfully jumped down from the branches, feeling the sting of the impact.

"Ow..that's gonna hurt in the morning.." He mumbled under his breath as he shook leaves out of his fur and settled his wings back down on his back. He turned back towards Smile.

"Well, I flew for a second!" Flyte called out, blushing at the embarrassing crash. Suddenly the Alakazam said something and began running really fast down the path. Then the Absol said something about Smile being gotten rid of. _Uh-oh..._ he thought to himself. Then the Absol began running after the Alakazam. Flyte, slightly worried about Smile and curious what that all was about, began to run after them, quick attacking to stay caught up. Ugh...if he actually learned to fly, he could keep up without having to quick attack.


----------



## wolftamer9

Lurkky heard the announcement and sped up his pace to follow the group. He was worried. That Alakazam bothered him somehow. And there was no question why. There was clearly a problem with his logic. He caught up to the Alakazam to tell him so.

"I don't understand why we're doing any of this. It's clear that the freed pokemon will end up killing each other, and even if they don't we'll just end up in a hell worse than the present one. At least the humans could hold us back, and keep most of us alive. I don't see how we would be helping anyone if we didn't change things. It's selfish to end lives for such groundless reasons."

_And that means you too, Death. I know you can hear me. Whatever "rot" you're worried about is irrelevant. When we live, we might rot, but when we die we have nothing._

"Death doesn't vanquish us from this world," his own mouth whispered, "it simply removes us from our boundaries. It frees us and makes us strong and eternal."

_Quit trying to convince me. You're the one who's making my life worse right now._

He started to feel a bit queasy. Suddenly he tripped on a rock and tumbled to the ground. Startled but not changed, he ran to catch up again.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"If you believe that the humans could keep us all in check, then why did _you_ try and escape from them?" Frollo demanded of the Mightyena. Before an answer could be given, Frollo continued: 'the definition of 'humans holding us in check' might range from an actually decent lifestyle to being abused, derided, and other such harmful actions. To many in this world, the humans are a menace that needs to be dealt with. To others.. they are no more than a nuisance. You may see them as whatever you wish, but do not make any assumptions as to what _I_ see them as."

Hoping his speech had knocked some sense into the Mightyena, Frollo gave another small chuckle at what the Wildfire was saying about leaving the rabble behind.

_She is right,_ he thought, _I have warned them that any who are unable to keep pace with us will be left behind... and after we deal with the rabble in the Viridian Pit, I might have the pleasure of permanently leaving behind someone such as that Togetic._

Dropping his voice, he addressed Naxalge and the Wildfire: "I have realized another definite motivation for reaching Viridian quickly: if we can take care of the rabble and liberate the trapped in the Pit quickly enough, it is very possible that we could leave the Togetic behind to rot. Certainly the rate that she is going at will help our chances of leaving her."

_And if we're _really_ lucky, she might be found by the other group, and_ they _might be the ones that put a permanent end to her._


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

(Ninjaed! Edited.)

Hmph. That annoying Mightyena was at it again... Naxalge decided she'd help Spoono this time. He was quite right already; but she felt like snarking at someone anyways for amusement and distraction.

"Hey, crazyass. Yeah, you, the sad excuse for a Dark-type I'm talking to. You _really_ think humans are better than this? Why not leave and go back to them? I'm sure they'd be glad to have you back... maybe they'd even experiment on your crazy ass until you saw sunshine and rainbows like Sprinkleface over there. If they kill each other, that's their own damn fault. They were too weak to survive. That's life. The weak are wiped out, and worthless. If they die, that was because they _deserved_ to die, and were weak. So why don't you shut your crazyass up, huh?"

Ah... the joy of insulting someone was blocking out the pain of running. That was good, that was quite good. Naxalge added only a small malicious giggle to this as she saw that worthless Mightyena trip over a rock.  He'd probably fall behind.

Then Spoono addressed her and Wildfire.

"A good point. Now I feel even _more_ excited. She doesn't seem easy to rough up with words, I'll admit... but maybe leaving her behind would make her rot gloriously..."


----------



## Solstice

Around the corner, a human had appeared, holding a cage with an Umbreon in it. And he was angry. Of course Xero was angry for still being in this hellhole. 

Oh, how he envied those who escaped... 

There was no appreciation towards the human, who was setting Xero's cage down. As the cage was set down, a short growl was emmited from it.

As if that human had better things to do (which he probably did), he completely ignored Xero and exited the room.

"Those humans... It's been so many years, and nothing has changed..." Xero mumbled. He then fired off a shadow ball at the bars, which reflected back at him. In the small space, the impact was powerful.

However, Xero had adapted to stamina- You need to when you want to win. Because of this, the blow only mildly affected Xero.


----------



## Mai

Smile smiled as Flyte started to fly. "You can do it!" She offered encouragingly. He turned to face her and crashed. _Poor Flyte..._ "Sorry Flyte. I guess you'll do better next time. Practice makes perfect!"

After he got situated, he ran off towards the others. Smile was kind of behind, so she zoomed off as well, this time flying. It was much easier than walking, but being so behind it tired her out.

_Soon Flyte will be able to do this. It must be kind of annoying to run on quick attack... _

Soon enough she caught up to Flyte. She slowed down a bit and mostly hovered, buzzing her wings rapidly. She was still a bit behind, but not so much. "I'm back. Sorry I was distracted. You did great there!" She hoped he wasn't offended at her flying after he just crashed. She hated running.


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza watched as Flyte took off the ground-for a few seconds. "Nice work, Flyte. At least you can fly, I can't...wait, where are they going?" He raced off after them, drawing at his powers. Soon, he had successfully copied Quick Attack using Mimic, and ran after the Absol, Mightyena and Alakazam. 

He soon caught up with Flyte and Smile. "Hey, thanks for using Quick Attack, if you hadn't I wouldn't have been able to mimic it and would have been left behind!"


----------



## wolftamer9

Lurkky stumbled on his feet, trying to regain his speed. He was the last thing he'd ever expected himself to be: He was enraged. In his weakness, he felt Death creeping forward, but he pushed it back.

To him, the Alakazam was merely a bit deluded. But the Absol was a complete idiot. He ran up to her and shoved her weakly to the side, hoping she wouldn't overreact and retaliate with violence.

"Do you really not see the problem here? Do you really think it's the humans that are the threat? I'm not stupid, I know what they've done. I know how they torture us and experiment on us. But it's not just the humans that want us to fight anymore. When you talk about the weak being 'worthless' and 'deserving to die,' you prove it all. The humans may be cruel to us, they may beat us and experiment on us, but that's worth crap compared to what psychopaths like you are capable of. I can picture having a limb torn off every day, being starved by those who are too greedy, and having to both protect myself from and physically harm everybody who's a threat, and I can't stand it! At least the humans don't kill _each other._ If we could do things like they do then we might actually be better off!"

_That should give her some perspective._

He saw another rock in his path, and this time he jumped it.


----------



## Cloudsong

Smile appeared overhead, hovering along with them all. 

_"I'm back. Sorry I was distracted. You did great there!"_ 

Flyte smiled as he darted around a large rock in the path.

"Thanks. It's kinda hard, but I guess I'll get the hang of it. Eventually."

Suddenly a meowth appeared running next to him and thanked Flyte for using quick attack so it could mimic the move.

"No problem. What's your name?" Flyte replied with a cheerful grin. His muscles twinged from the repeated quick attacking, but he ignored it.


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

She snarled at Crazyass as her thorny fur bristled. That weakling pushed _her_? Once again, her fur became more tinged. The Darkness radiating around it became more visible. She _hated_ it when people touched her like that, hated. No matter how softly it was.

But the nasty grin spread wider on her face still, becoming disturbingly large as she bared her small fangs. 

“Oh, you think you’re so high and mighty. One of those goody goods, I see. Who tried to attack one of us just a bit ago, huh? You’re a monster too, just like the rest of us, Crazy, no matter what crap you espouse. At least I admit that I’m a psychopath. In fact, I’d say you’re even more of a psychopath than I am. I don’t hear fake voices in my head and say that they did them, _Crazy_.  Anyone who can’t defend themselves deserves the cruelty, did you hear me? And it’s human loving filth like you that needs to shut your trap before I give you a reason to protect yourself.”

She dashed past him, and as she did, she made sure that her scythe was very close to his face, close enough to lightly slash against it and create a shallow wound.


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate

So, now they were running? Whatever, Hoss could use the practice anyway, not that he was all that good of a marathon runner. His short legs increased their pace, bringing Hoss up to a decent distance behind the faster members of the group. Almost habitually, Hoss brought down his club to the ground in time with his clunky steps; this was an easily-translated warning from his kind. It said 'stay away' better than bared teeth ever could, at least in place that cubone and marowak lived.

Puffing a bit, Hoss _finally _pulled up beside Halan, and by extension the riolu and erufuun clinging to her. Still breathing heavily, he addressed the cottony pokémon as quietly as he could manage.

"Sorry," he grunted, with a curt but meaningful nod. He really was quite remorseful for almost killing the poor pokémon, but there was nothing for it. The past was behind them, as there were no xatu in the group, and that was simply that.

Hoss fell behind once more, glad to slacken his pace. He really wasn't built for running.


----------



## Wargle

A lone figure was flying ner virdian. Magic the wargle was fly, and notced a group of Pokemon head towards the city. They were... the battlers he fought! He swooped down in front of the Persian and said  in his usual screechy voice, "Greeetings you all."


----------



## wolftamer9

((done. if more editing is necessary, let me know.))

He felt the sting on his cheek and got angrier. He had never been this mad before. then again, he'd never met someone this crazy before. Before he knew what he was doing he was chasing after her. He lifted his tail and locked his scythe in front of hers, and then stopped, hoping to flip her over onto the ground.

"You think you're special?! Others can feel pain, you know! Sometimes there have to be rules to keep things in order and keep us from brutally killing each other! And no matter how messed up you are, you're never exempt! You can protest all you want and scream your twisted views into my ears day and night but it changes nothing! I don't care if Death is a product of my insanity or not, I keep control because I have to! And so do you!"

Somewhere in his head, Death was cackling. Lurkky felt himself calming down, but he couldn't help but wait in terror for the consequences of the terrible mistake he had just made.


----------



## see ya

Pali clutched a little tighter to the Lucario's arms, not wanting to drift out of his grasp and frighten the little baby Riolu, who seemed to have finally calmed down. 

"Poor thing... does she even know what seeing is...? Little Riolu... it's not bad that you can't see... might be harder, but it's not bad... don't feel bad that you can't... I'm sure you can't help it...."

She remained still in Halan's arms. She was starting to feel a little claustrophobic, but given the costs of being let go, she was willing to endure.

She also noticed the Marowak, the same one she was sure she may have fought before. Shuddering a little in remembering the damage he did to her, she still did like how he was apologizing. 

"It's okay... I'm sure you wouldn't have if you had the choice....anyway it's behind us now... we can still be friends..." she smiled a little at him.


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic picked up the pace as the others ran on. He easily pulled up alongside the Ninetales, running on all fours. He looked up at her as they ran. A black fox...hmm...that seemed...familiar. He frowned, looking up at her.

"...You were a pitfighter, weren't you?" He asked carefully, inspecting her features. She looked...yes, it could be her. The black fire fox he had faced once. The one he tried to defend.


----------



## Zora of Termina

Sheila noticed out of the corner of her eye, the Raichu from before. He seemed to be speaking to her. "Yes, I was a fighter... why do you ask?" as she ran, she looked at him, tilting her head. She didn't remember seeing a Raichu quite like him down there, although she had faced many.

_"...That Raichu... is that...?"_ The voice seemed to be cutting in and out now, but it sounded a bit more... curious, than before, from what she could hear of it.

_Hmm... must've been nothing..._


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

This would’ve amused her… his anger would’ve amused her so much… if he hadn’t _touched_ her again.

She stopped abruptly as their scythes locked together and was tossed to the ground. Embarrassed… made to look like a fool… 

Now there was no control. She had warned Crazyass, and he had continued, he had put her in the mood she hadn’t been before. The grin left the Absol’s face as a very dangerous murderous look seeped into her red eyes. Slowly, she got up from the ground. A dark aura became visible around Naxalge as her spiked fur bristled out completely.

“Nobody… nobody can control me. And nobody tells me what to do, especially not a low life like you. I was going to go easy… I gave you a warning… now it’s time to wipe out the _filth_.” Those were all the words she could utter, because the rest was beyond words. Naxalge’s scythe seemed to become even more spiked and thorny, much like her fur. It almost… crackled with a sort of dark lightning.

Without so much as a warning, the black Absol charged right for the Mightyena as all of the dark aura around was focused on her scythe. She lowered her head as she abruptly ran to the side and aimed the powerful Night Slash at his legs in attempts to knock him down. This time... she wasn't holding back.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

((Sorry 'bout the abcense; I was at a play, and I am currently typing this on my DSi.))

Frollo, at first mildly amused by the ever growing argument between Naxalge and the Mightyena, was now becoming very irritated by the latter's words.

"You don't seem to understand, do you? Not all of us have your foollish idealistic views on this world. I have lived for seventy-three years; _I_ know what effects _everyone_ has had on it. Pokemon and humans both contribute to the decline of the other; this cycle has not ended, and it will not end, not unless we liberate. Then, maybe, the pokemon will come to understand how rotted the world is, and-"

The two pokemon suddenly attacked one another.

Frollo knew that he could do nothing to stop the battle (certainly not against a Night Slash of that power,) so he ran ahead, sending a telepathic message to Naxalge:

_However strong this one might be, I can already tell that it was a mistake to allow him to come with us. I assure you, he will be a loss we cut at the next pit. If you continue, he might very well use this as his justification, and we don't want him to speak, now do we?_

Hoping that she would hear the message, and stop her attack for the time being, Frollo cotinued onward.


----------



## Anomaly 54

"I'm Paza." He purred as he struggled to keep up with the Eevee. The Eevee, lucky him, was used to Quick Attack but Paza had never moved so fast in his life.
"How are you supposed to see anything? All I can see is blurs of color!"


----------



## River

Allum had changed to a Jolteon to keep up with Frollo. It used energy to change his form but in the long run he was saving energy by not pushing himself. When the Absol had been flipped by the Mightyena he had suppressed a chuckle, but when she attacked he halted and knew he could do nothing to stop the attack. With a sigh he turned and began to keep pace with Frollo who seemed not to have slowed in the least. 
"I wonder how many of us will be at each others throats by the time this is over. I have no doubt that Absol will have threatened quite a few." He smiled and continued to keep pace with the Alakazam.
"Wait, I never properly introduced myself. You can call me Allum. How should I address you?"


----------



## Sylph

Halan landed on a tree branch, looking down at Pali and Anny. He stared silently, not sure if he heard the fluffy-one right. "...Blind...? Vhat do you mean..." He muttered, leaning down to look Anny in the eyes. He waited for her to register him, only to feel his heart sink deep into his gut and shatter.

His daughter was blind and he didn't notice this.

_Vhat kind of Father doesn't notice these things...Vhat if I...am not made out for this. Nyet...I'll keep trying. I von't give up until I prove to myselfI can't do this. But now...how vill she be able to survive...she's too young to use aura on her own to sense more than emotions..._

_"Then teach her...show her a new sight...her first sight..."_

He glances back up, looking around for the voice. He lets out a warning growl to the mysterious being, not able to see their aura. He then glances down when a Marowak approached under the tree and spoke up to Pali. From what he could guess, those two met before.

_No fur off my nose. As long as ve don't start fighting one another, ve vill reach there first united._

He sighed and stand in the tree, looking ahead. His eyes light up, a smirk on his face as he hops down onto the ground. He called up to Ed and Shelia "I can see a large building ahead. Ve are making good time...just a bit further and ve vill be there!" He laughed, leaning down and licking the top of Anny's head.


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte laughed a little upon hearing the meowth.

"You can't really rely on your eyesight that much unless you have the eyes of a Pidgeot. Which I do. Stupid genetic tampering. Anyway, even then it's hard to see, you just have to look for the shapes of stuff. It'll be blurry, but...it's more manageable. Here, if you want, feel free to jump up on my back. I don't mind." He smiled at the struggling meowth.

He suddenly raced past where the Absol was attacking that Mightyena. Although he couldn't help but remember the sight of that same Mightyena leaping for him, claws outstretched, bloodlust raging in its eyes, he still pitied the creature. he shouldn't have messed with the Absol...she was....dangerous.


----------



## wolftamer9

Lurkky landed on the ground. His legs were severely wounded. 
_What a bitch_ he thought, not realizing the irony of the fact that he was canine. He struggled to stand up, but found it hard.
"I bet you've never lost a fight," he said, "but get over yourself! I guarantee that you'll lose someday, and not necessarily to someone stronger than you! You don't even know what weak is!"
He already knew that that wouldn't convince her. He finally pulled himself up, and two glands on his neck started expanding rapidly. He exhaled quickly, spewing out a huge black cloud in the absol's direction.


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina had figured that Naxalge could take care of herself, and simply brutalize the Mightyena if he pissed her off too much. However, Frollo seemed to be not bothering to take much interest in the growing conflict, and she finally stopped when she saw a black cloud out of the corner of her eye. Whirling around, she didn't bother wasting time with speech - she just gathered the always abundant fire energy and let loose a Flamethrower in an attempt to disperse it. 

"Oh, I assure you, Crazy, we all know what weakness is. Weakness is mewling, pathetic wretches like _you_," she snarled, fur bristling and making herself look even bigger than normal. That was a lie - she knew what weakness is, had felt it today and back when she had been a pup, fearful and willing to do anything to find a purpose to cling to. "Now why don't you promise to leave us alone and keep running quietly like a good little weakling? Come on, Horrid Queen of the pits - if you want, we can make a list and deal out punishment for all of it later, all at once." 

With that, she sauntered for a few moments before focusing on catching up with Frollo, occasionally twitching an ear to detect if the Mightyena was still causing delays. Of course, it was _all_ his fault, because he was an easy target for further blame, regardless of the truth.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo gave a nod of approval toward the Wildfire - hadn't she said her name was Basaina? - Before speaking again:

"She's right, Mightyena. She and Naxalge have it right on the money, so to speak. Weakness is not only 'mewling, pathetic wretches like you,' but it is also the inability to do what is necessary to survive in this rotted world. The inability to harm or kill when it is necessary; the inability to get over one's fears is also weakness, and so is the inability to come to terms with your own, broken past and accept that only survival - by _any_ means - lies in store. The greatest fighters of the pits are the ones that have survived the longest during their stay, and it is they, and they alone, that have conquered their weaknesses."

With that little tirade finished, he sped up his run ever so slightly. He could see a faint light in the distance as he continued to run.

_We're close,_ he realized, _oh so very close. If we are beaten by that Persian and his cohorts, it might be only by a minute; two, even._


----------



## Metalos

Was it time to wake up yet?

Mandalus could smell pokemon. His upper body protruding out of a mound of human garbage, the raw, rank stench of their hearty emotions cut through the putrid cloud of pestilence squatting over the dumpster like a bloated cloud. Rousing him from his state of hibernation, his singular eyelid twitched erratically as he struggled not to wake up.

He wanted to dream in sterile safety, to simply lie buried until time and decay withered his fabricated prison away to nothing, upon which he would at last take flight to the realm of spirits. There, at long last, he could leave his misplaced regrets behind. Emotional baggage stolen from countless pokemon while they slept, weighing down his spirit like luggage tethered to his soul. Smothering him in a manner not dissimilar to the pile of garbage that kept his physical form immobilized.

It was getting harder to ignore them. Like a sound, their prescence continued to grow louder, brighter, stronger. There was no single sense alone that could describe it. He could feel them coming with every fiber of his patchwork being, instincts that had lain dormant since his days fighting for the sick amusement of his human masters taking hold in the back of his mind. They were moving so quickly. If he didn't hurry, he would miss them. And then he would have to burden himself with yet another regret.

_"Wait... wait for me..."_

Flailing in his sleep, his flayed appendages swinging through the air, the momentum loosening the weight around his waist, Mandalus opened his eye and cast his cyclopian gaze in the direction of the approaching pandemonium. Stretching out an elongated arm in their direction with his palm open - as if reaching out to them in desperation.

_"Set me free... don't leave me shackled..."_

In the palm of his disfugured hand, an etheral ball of ghostly flame sprang to life, flickering blue like a beacon. Glowing brightly, Mandalus had to avert his gaze in order to avoid looking directly at the eerie light, which stung him, having not used his eyesight in what felt like eternity. His *Will-o-Wisp* shining faintly in a final bid to escape, the Banette hung his head and waited in hope for someone to come to his aid. Whether or not they would show him mercy? That was another matter entirely...


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

She heard a voice speaking to her briefly within her mind… Spoono? 

As soon as she had successfully struck down her target, she felt the anger starting to lift again, and the dark aura slowly disappearing. He was right… and she was merely relying on her weakness to win. Showing weakness. They would deal with Crazy later… and the _proper_ way. Not this way. The Absol grinned in a satisfied way, shaking her head as spiky fur went in all directions.

Then she heard him say some nonsense that she had never lost anything… for a moment, Naxalge could feel it rising again. The urge to fight. Hmph! As if… that human would always remind her of the fact that her battle record was less than spotless. She knew weakness, and she knew it better than anybody in this place. It was all she had ever known and tried to hide, that desperate and soft part within her, shielded by the Darkness…

But no, stay calm. Spoono and Wildfire were right. She calmed down as her fur settled again and continued a sarcastic smirk.

“I warned you, _Crazy_. But you’re not even worth my words; Spoono and Wildfire have said it all. You’re beyond words. Touch me again though and I don’t think even they will be able to stop me from wiping you off the face of this planet.” 

With that, she ran away from the injured Mightyena, feeling some satisfaction that she had shown him his place. It took her a few minutes, but she caught up successfully to Spoono and Wildfire.

“I’d like that.” Responded the Absol to the Arcanine’s suggestion of a list, as she shook her fur out of her face once more.


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward regarded the large bird who had appeared before them with a blank expression. He stopped walking for a moment, looked the bird up and down, and sneered.

"Fuck off. I don't have time for _you_."

And with that, he resumed running.

He glanced over when Halan landed next to him, and grinned a bit, showing slightly yellowed teeth.  He nodded his head at the Lucario's words, and sped up his pace, quickly leaving the obnoxious bird-thing behind him. He couldn't wait to get his paws on some humans... They were so soft and squishy, and looked easy to kill. The most he had to worry about was their brainwashed Pokemon.

But no matter. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. He sped up when he saw the building, grinning.


----------



## Wargle

"Hahaha... Same as always..." Magic said before traking off and flying above Ed. "How pathetic...."


----------



## Solstice

"How long will it take..." Xero continued mumbling, "To find an opportunity to escape?" 

The Umbreon pushed on the cage door, and it was locked. No luck.

"Why? Why?!" Xero started ramming against the cage, but nothing had happened. 

His new scars and cuts and bruises started to ache again, and Xero finally halted.


----------



## Blastoise Fortooate

A smile? He was glad that the erufuun was so forgiving. A smile on his part would have been hard to see(especially from their elevated angle), so he didn't even attempt it. He tapped his club against the tree as the lucario (Halan? She had a rather thick accent, he knew that) took off from her perch. There was a bird ahead and above (flashes of foolhardy, effective group attacks) that was harassing Ed. Not good. They had a mission to do, and he didn't like the pokémon instinctively, anyway. In addition, Ed was quite the loose cannon and he really didn't need to be any more wrathful at the moment, considering their objective.

Hoss began running again, slower now, and tossed his club with practiced ease. The Ancient Weapon had more of an imbalance in weight than most marowak clubs, but it _was _magical and anyway marowak and cubone have rather a lot of skill at making things fly how they want. The club twisted end over end In a smooth arc. 

It missed the bird entirely, of course; Hoss wasn't looking for a fight and only wished to frighten the thing off. As the bone returned to the earth's surface (Hoss catching it without looking), the marowak yelled something into the air as he picked up his pace.

"Buzz off!" he cried in a scratchy voice. He slammed his bone to the ground several times for good measure.


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic frowned at Shelia. He could've sworn that this was the Ninetales he had made the promise with...but she didn't seem to recognise him. Were there many black Ninetales? He didn't know. "...It's nothing." He muttered. Maybe a clue would be given in time but for now...he'd keep his eyes out for the one he was thinking of. And other this one, just to be sure.

His ears perked at the sound of another pokemon. A pitiful cry as it pleaded to be freed from shuckles. He skidded abruptly to a halt, listening sharply. "Wait!" He called, before the others shot off without him. "I think I hear someone...one of us." He clarified. He concentrated and turned, walking towards what he thought was the source of the sound, body glowing gently.

"Hello...?" He asked quietly. He saw the flicker of a flame. He hurried over, peering into the light...and gasped. He'd never seen a creature like this - it seemed to be made of human cloth, but the scent of a pokemon lingered. It held a ball of flame in it's long hand and looked so frail and fragile. Dominic called back to his newly formed team. "There's a pokemon here!" He approached the unknown pokemon carefully, the same way he'd approached the group earlier. "Hey...are you alright?"


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Only when the lights in the distance began to brighten did Frollo remember the Jolteon that was keeping pace with the rest of the group.

"Most people refer to me by my surname, Frollo. I do believe that during my days in the pits, I had a title, but you would be hard pressed to-"

_No. Nobody needs to know that you were slowly eased out of battling life. They might be a little suspicious as to why I might have been rotated out... and given my current age, weakness would be the most likely candidate of their reasoning. No reason at all for them to know..._

The lights were slowly breaking through the treetops, and Frollo could see that they came from a series of buildings.

_The goal is within reach. You should be warned, Viridian Pit:

Judgment is imminent._


----------



## wolftamer9

Lurkky collapsed. He couldn't move his legs anymore, the bleeding had gotten worse. He watched the group leave for the pits and yelled out for them to stop, but they were too far away to hear him. He lay down on the ground hoping he'd get some rest, maybe find some way to stop the bleeding.

He thought about the strange characters in the group. They fought, they threatened, they talked about who was expendable and who deserved death, and yet _he_ was the one they couldn't trust, the one who was called crazy. crazy, crazy crazy.

Lurkky suddenly wondered if he was crazy for hearing Death, and for losing control of his body. He wondered if maybe something was wrong with him for not having such bloodlust despite having fought in the pits.
_No,_ he thought, _they all have some voice in their heads telling them to kill. I'm the sane one for holding it back._

He wished he could prove his point to them. He hadn't meant to complain. He just thought that for fixing the world, more needed to be done than just freeing the enslaved. They had to be taught to change. He wished very strongly that he could explain all this to them.

His forehead felt weird for a second, and then suddenly he felt like he could do it. He stood up. His legs didn't hurt at all. He looked at them. Some kind of bone had grown over the wounds. His claws were ever so slightly longer than before. So were his teeth. He felt strong. So strong that he made a dash to catch up with the pack.

And despite the cackling he could hear in his head, he didn't suspect a thing.


----------



## Wargle

The bone flew by Magic, and he smirked. "Foolish Pokemon." He turned upside down by using Acrobat at began a Steel Wing, his blades on his wings getting longer and glowing silver.


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina was used to praise, but only from her trainer. He was probably dead now, but the nod from Frollo was almost unexpected, and she snorted, covering the sudden rush of pride and satisfaction. The Alakazam was supposed to be amazingly intelligent, since he was a Psychic, so if he agreed with what she said... It was a heady rush of feeling, but she shook as if to dislodge it. It certainly wasn't the time to be swayed by anything like approval. It didn't matter to her what Frollo thought, other than that he respected her strength. That was all.

"I'm sure you would," she told Naxalge, turning her head to take a look at 'Crazy'. "I'd even help you if he decides to get too close again. Unless he's even dumber than he's been acting so far and tries to touch me instead." Her eyes narrowed, gleaming with anticipation. The sight of the arena distracted her, and the Arcanine tensed up. She had escaped from it so recently, and now she was willingly going back to destroy it. A role reversal, and one that made her slightly uneasy. At least humans tended to be blind - if she moved fast enough, they wouldn't notice her helmet and know that she had turned on them until it was far too late.

"Almost there, eh?" she muttered, more to herself than to her companions, and increased her pace, leaping ahead and ignoring the spiky feeling of nervousness that mingled with the urge to kill. She wasn't about to show that sort of weakness, not when it was important to have them know just how capable a killer she was, and especially not after all those little speeches that Crazy had spouted. It was almost time to kill...


----------



## River

Allum nodded his head slowly, "So, any particular plan of action? Or just break stuff without getting hit?" He trained his eyes on the path but twitched an ear to see if any of the other pack members had a comment. 

Wildfire, he assumed, would be one of those who would excel at breaking things with sheer power. Frollo seemed more along the type to think things through. The Horrid Queen would do well at guarding against other pokemon and humans and that Mightyena would do well with that too. If only they would get along, 'Meh, can't have everything in a fighting squad.' Although he wondered where he would fit in, would he be a destroyer, a guard or a mastermind? Or would he be a healer like the other Eevee and Smile? No point trying to find an answer now, he would deal with that when he came to it. For now he had to keep a sense out so that their arrival remain as silent as they feel it need be. Suddenly a thought dawned on him, 

"Did anyone actually go into the other group? The one that was supposed to free the pokemon? Or are we to assume the Golden Terror's group will be doing that while we risk our necks?" 

If so we may come across a few problems. Last he had seen of the persian was not all too pleasent towards this group. If Allum had to deal with anyone attacking him in a battle rage he would. Without hesitation, but perhaps with mercy. 'Without weakness we are imperfect' he thought, 'with every being there is a weakness, be it physical or mental, whether or not they accept it'.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"If the Persian's group goes to actually free them, we will hopefully arrive in time to provide enough cover fire for them to free them all and escape... that was my plan from the start, and I suppose had I been more thorough about explaining it, we wouldn't have gone into such a drastic split.

"As far as I'm concerned, the plan at this point is that we get in, clear away as many enemies as we can, free as many pokemon as we can, and then pull out. A simple plan, yes, but at this point, it's very likely our best course of action. If we are lucky, the Persian will see us freeing the pokemon and see that the divide and conquer strategy isn't too terrible after all."

He shaped his spoons into the same longswords he had used to attack the Mightyena earlier. As he continued his walk, the buildings became more clear. They were very nearly in.

_Now then, Persian, we will see whose strategy has the most merit._

Briefly, he wondered how many of the humans would recognize him as the Alakazam that had "gone insane," and had to be eased out of the arenas. He hoped that some of them would... just so he could see the dawning horror in their eyes as to who it was that was slaying them.

_They will know their mistake, oh they will definitely know._


----------



## Littlestream

"I guess we're almost there." Astrid said as her group neared the pit. Walking had put a strain on her, as she still felt the injuries of some of her most recent battles. But now they were there, and it was time to do what they had said they would: free the Pokemon.

(Some people actually did go with the rescue group. I mean, only like three of us, but still... don't pretend we aren't here! There just aren't as many of us, so we have had less opportunities to participate in the discussion.)


----------



## ....

_Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, __tick tock__....._

Leo had been to Viridian before. He had fought Suzanne for the first time there, and gained his first loss.

_Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, __tick tock__....._

He was running.

_Tick tock, tick tock, __tick tock__...._

He knew that the longer it took him to get there, the more battlers would die.

_Tick tock, tick tock... _

He sprinted, passing everybody in view, his heart pounding.

_Tick tock...

_He nearly collapsed as soon as he crossed the Viridian City Limit.

_Time's almost up._

He shakily walked over to the Gym and laid down, waiting.


----------



## Metalos

Holding the glowing beacon of fire steady with grim patience, a burning manifestation of his waning faith, the light began at first to fade, and then to flicker. Mandalus starting to think himself delusional, driven to madness by wishful thinking and false hope. Letting the flame fade away into ashes, hanging his head in despair, he jerked in surprise at the sound of a voice close by. Reaching out, he felt the warmth of a living creature drawing near, driven towards him by emotions rarely encountered within the nightmare of the pits. 

_...pity? _

_...concern? _

Had he possessed the capacity to - Mandalus would have wept tears of joy. Warily, he allowed himself a fraction of hope, elated by the possibility of freedom from an eternity rotting in the stagnant pits of human waste.

"Please... don't leave me!"

He called out to the nearby pokemon, casting his gaze upwards to meet the gaze of what was undoubtedly a Raichu. Clasping his hands together in a position of prayer, staring up at the electric mouse with a look of passionate desperation, his eye glowed with tentative hope, flickering and faint like the light of a candle, but burning brighter with every passing second in the presence of long-awaited company. 

"My name... is Mandalus. Liberate me from this odorous prison, I implore you. I am uncertain how much longer my body can *Endure* it. Set me free... and you will have my gratitude eternal. Along with any other material assistance I can provide."


----------



## Littlestream

_Maybe I can actually help with this. Maybe I'll find her..._ Astrid's thoughts drifted off as she realized that the chances of finding her sister were very low. Instead of sinking further into the depression that already gripped her, she thought, _Well, at least I can hope. There's always a chance, no matter how small._

While she had been thinking this over, the Quilava that had been with her had run forward and was laying by the gym entrance. When she reached the Pokemon, she gently nudged him in the side. 

"You should get up. We need to get into that pit." she said. She said it a bit gruffly - it showed she was nervous. Without waiting for an answer, she turned towards the gym and walked towards the door. _It's all or nothing. Best thing to do is to get on with it._


----------



## Exo-Raikou

It wasn't long until the came into enough focus so that Frollo could tell that they were now well inside of Viridian City. Satisfied with that, he relaxed some of the enhancement on his muscles. Whatever travel would be made to the pit from here would be done by floating. Ahead, the shape of the Gym was clear; it was as if the structure was a beacon; guiding Frollo to its position.

_This may not have been the pit I escaped from... No, that one was much further off. I feel no necessary reason to think that one of my... handlers would be here. No, no reason at all._

Still floating toward the Gym, he swiveled around so that he was now facing Naxalge, Basaina, and all of the others, all the while, he was still floating toward the Gym.

"I am not one to make any sort of rousing speech, so instead, I give you all this final warning: if I see any reason that any of you are unworthy, your judgment will be swift. Pray that you prove yourselves worthy of being spared."

With that, he swiveled around once more, and sped up his float until the Gym was nearly right in front of him. Had he been paying more attention to the rest of the city, he would have seen the Raichu and a Banette, and the other, "enemy" pokemon nearby.

"The time has come."

_The crusade has begun._

He thrust the shaped blade into the air.

"Now, we strike."


----------



## Zora of Termina

"They're here..." 

Sheila's voice was a whisper. Best not to attract notice. "We haven't gotten enough of a head start. I think we should take the Pokemon that the Raichu... Dominic was it? I think we should take it and move on. Get to the next pit before those _cabezas de la mierda_, and liberate it before they can."

Her eyes were locked onto Ed. "It will be fast. The next town isn't far off from here. The sooner we can get ahead of them, the better off we'll be, savvy?"


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte finally was able to stop quick attacking; they had reached Viridian City. He gasped for breath quietly while Frollo made his..erm...rousing...statement about judgment. Flyte shook his wings in anticipation and trotted after Frollo, looking around for the meowth and Smile. Had he left them behind? Agh..his ability Adaptability boosted his quick attack...he probably did leave them a lil ways behind. Oops.


----------



## Black Yoshi

Xhan stared at the gym blankly. The run had been little trouble for him. Though he was no fighter, being a riolu almost came with long-distance running. Froo-Froo had his little deal going on, and it took Xhan a moment to process just what the psychic had said.

_Judgement... Wait, he doesn't mean... No, he wouldn't._ Xhan glanced at Frollo once more. _Okay, maybe he would._


----------



## Sylph

"She has a point, Edvard. Ve should avoid the chaos and do some better good in the next town. Ve vould only end up fighting the other group and kill more than ve need vhen saving the pokemon. Now...Raichu...Dominic, Da?" Halan muttered, slowing his run and strolling over to where the Raichu had stopped. He kneeled down next to him and peered at the pokemon before them.

_How odd...it vas holding something..._

"Ve should get moving. Don't need to alert them ve are here. But I vould like to take a look at this one for vounds. Ve must keep moving. Vill you be able to take care of this one, or vill you need help...vhy am i asking, bah. I seem to have lost myself for a moment" He chuckled, looking down at the cage before him. He takes the lock into his hand and studies it, finding it to be a cheap on eat best. With a twist and a pull, he broke the lock and stepped aside to let Dom do what he needs to do. He then glances down at the two in his arms, one shifted to the other when he needed the free paw. Fixing them again, he leans down to nuzzle his daughter, whispering calming word to her.


----------



## Mai

Flyte had zoomed away before Smile could even speed up just a little. She was still slowly hovering above Paza, facing the rest of the group. Now that they weren't talking, she noticed they were far behing the group. The togetic needed to hurry.

"Bye Paza!" She said to him quickly, buzzing her wings rapidly and hurrying to catch the group. She slowed down a little after the sprint, just enough so that she wouldn't be exhausted when she got to the group, even though it _would_ be record time. _I've got to be ready to heal Flyte,_ she mused. _How should I heal him, anyway? Right after he heals someone else? Then it won't help that much... not until a lot later. Right before? But then what if he's not tired? I can't use wish a milllion times..._

As she flew, her joy dust floated down to the ground, leaving a glimmering trail. It seemed to clear her mind, being free of the dust, and she mused on how to heal Flyte for a while. In the end, she decided that healing him _after,_ would be best.

She landed next to the winged eevee just as the alakazam finished his speech. Smile was more interested at her glittering down that had littered the terrain, making a path. "Isn't that cool, Flyte?" She asked, gesturing to the sparkling trail. "My joy dust made a path!"


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina forced down the nervous tension that insisted on spreading through her body, throwing Frollo and Naxalge a savage grin. "Judgement, eh? If you need help with that..." She snapped at the air and pranced a bit, feeling the welcome energy, as if she was in almost perfect health. She would have to be careful to not get killed, but that was about it. She doubted anyone here would be able to match her power, other than the ones on _her_ side, and they wouldn't kill a useful ally anyways. 

She sniffed the air, head tilting to one side. Well, that was interesting. They weren't really first. The other group was here too, judging by their scents - fire and ashes and some shadowy nuance that she couldn't name for the Ninetales, metal and blood from the Golden Terror and the Lucario's scent, calm but surging forward - and she snorted to focus on the rest. Metal and the crackle of lightning, and... cloth. That was new. Cloth and a musty, dark scent, one that made her fur bristle when she focused on it too much. So they had picked up some more Pokemon.

"I don't think we're alone," she drawled, padding after Frollo. "But it doesn't matter. I don't think they'll get in our way much." Or at least in _her_ way, because surely some of them were smart enough to stay away from her when she started burning things. She focused, letting fire flicker in her mouth, coating her fangs. Just a preparation for her first attack, and also to drive away any shred of doubt. Fire cleansed her of that, turning everything around her into a target. Soon, she could see how much she would sacrifice to feed the flames.

Green eyes narrowed, and she growled softly, seeking out the first victim.

((I AM MAKING A RSP REFERENCE, AHAHAHA~ *snerks* Judgement! >:D Also, scents are fun to write.))


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza stopped for a moment to admire Smile's handywork. "Hehe, follow the leader!" He dashed off down the path and slowed to a stop behind Smile and Flyte. He stood awkwardly on to legs and tried to keep his balance. "What's-" He lost his balance, but he managed to grab a bush and steady himself. "What's next?"


----------



## Arylett Charnoa

So... it would be time to prove herself at last.

The Absol simply nodded at Frollo's speech, knowing he spoke the truth. Within her, some small bit of fear sparked... the human had always said she wasn't good enough... what if he was right? And without the use of anger... would she even have enough power if she didn't rely on her anger? What if a Fighting-type or something else resistant to Dark-type attacks showed up? She shuddered upon thinking of her few losses... when she had encountered such types. Well, few of those of the idiot group seemed resistant to her attacks. So if they got in the way... she could easily wipe them...

Minus the Golden Terror. She'd avoid him.

Now was the time though, the time for those who were unworthy to be judged. Would she make the cut? She really hoped so... Spoono seemed to like her thus far, but you never knew with anyone in this world... you couldn't trust so easily in such a group like this.

"Heh. So the Peanut Gallery's here, huh? No matter... _filth_ needs to be cleaned... and it will... regardless of where said filth is." Her red eyes focused on Sparkleass and the Crazy Mightyena, then she cackled ominously. The thought of them being obliterated lifted her spirits significantly. 

And thus she charged forward, her scythe at the ready.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"Indeed," Frollo said to Naxalge. "We can all be sure that there will be cleansing to be done by the end of this attack."

Then, the Absol charged. Without a moments hesitation, Frollo put some psychokinetic energy into his leg muscles, and ran after her, using a psychic pulse to blast down the door.

_I suppose that if the Persian and his little cadre have arrived, they will either try to sabotage my judgment, or simply move on to the next pit - either option is fine with me, for if he and his attempt to intervene, I have an excuse to kill them._

The door, now crumpled into a ball, was tossed back into the entryway of the gym, hitting the opposite wall with a resounding _clang_. This noise caught the attention of several humans, and within a moment, maybe two, they were at the threshold to the gym, with what sounded like several pokemon in tow.

This was good.

Readying his shaped blades, Frollo ran at the enemies, all the while saying:

"Now, who will be the first to face judgment?"


----------



## Cloudsong

Smile flew up to Flyte, leaving a glittery trail behind the Togetic. 

"Oh, wow. Shiny!" Flyte exclaimed, not really paying much attention. Then the absol charged towards the gym and Frollo used psychic energy to blast the door in. A resounding _clang_ was heard as it slammed into the opposite wall. Flyte flinched as he watched the Alakazam charge, like the absol, towards the enemies inside. He sighed and began padding towards the door, making sure he wasn't in the way for when the others began running in after Frollo. Now would've been a good time to practice flying, but he needed to pay attention in case one of them got injured. He'd need to heal them quickly, before they could be jumped and finished off. 

He brought to the surface all of his healing energies, a blue and white aura glowing and swirling around him, eyes glowing brilliantly, ready to dispense the healing energies as needed. He hoped the rescuers would get in and save the imprisoned pokemon soon...Flyte had the feeling that if the battle was finished before the pokemon were saved, Frollo would move on, leaving the captured pokemon here.


----------



## River

Allum shuddered slightly as the fur on his body loosened and changed to a red. his tail and mane turned to a creamy colour. He took a breath and ran through the gym door after Frollo and the Absol, flames beggining to form within him. He could hear the charge of humans and stood ready. _Now to see what these so called 'pit legends' can do, will they live up to their name in uneven combat? Or will they be eliminated by the humans numbers? Only one way to find out._ He reared back and leapt forward at the nearest enemy, small amounts of flames streaming from his mouth.


----------



## wolftamer9

The door flew straight through the doorway and hit the back wall, making Lurkky jump. He saw several humans inside the gym. He was nervous anticipating the fight that was about to go on. But something inside him was looking forward to it. at first he thought it was death, but it wasn't. It was him.

Somewhere deep down he was delighted at the thought of all the dead bodies. He was feeling energetic. His claws felt sharper, his teeth longer, and his abilities greater than before. Everything seemed smaller than it had a few seconds ago. They were weak. He was strong. He looked at his teammates, and couldn't help but anticipate killing them as well.

He suddenly snapped out of it. This was worse than anything that had happened to him. It was Death's doing. It had to be. But if it was, then that meant that it wouldn't be long until he _was_ Death. He didn't know what he could do at this point. So he tried as hard as he could to think of pain. All the pain they would feel, all the lives that would be ruined. This wasn't going to be a one-sided battle.


----------



## shadow_lugia

Nevra floated along with the group, not really knowing where they were going or what was happening. She didn't understand most of the words that everyone used.

Her eyes looked forlornly around the city. It looked so weird, so unlike the lush forests full of moving things that she had been in only a while ago. It was so gray, like her skin.

Wait, there was something out of the normal. There was some color that stood out, like a flickering piece of sky or water. Nevra hadn't encountered many things of this particular color that could be carried; she had once found a flower of similar color, but it had turned brown and broken in half after a few days. Maybe she could keep this?

Curious, she now drifted over. She stopped halfway, though, spotting the Lucario and Raichu doing... something. What were they doing? Did they want it for themselves?

Then the Lucario walked away, leaving the spot where the flicker had been. Maybe he really had taken it already?

But no, there was something else. The flicker wasn't there, but there was something that looked bizarrely like her, Nevra. It looked similar, but different in some ways. Its arms were too long, its head too funny, and it had one black, empty-looking eye. Nevra looked at her own arms, but they weren't as long as the look-alike's, and didn't have any sticks coming out of them. Were there other creatures that looked like her? Something with a similar body, but not her? Nevra couldn't remember ever encountering something that looked like herself. Was it some kind of reflection or shadow, twisted enough to look different? Had it come from her, or maybe had she come from it? Maybe she was the strange reflection?


----------



## Metalos

Waiting in painful anticipation for the Raichu's response, Mandalus stirred at the sound of new footsteps, and turned his stare towards an approaching Lucario burdened with children. A strange sight on the outskirts of dangerous human territory. In silence, Mandalus watched him as he toyed with a lock of some kind affixed to the garbage pile, breaking it in two and causing a chain of some sort to slacken. 

In an appropriate chain-reaction, the removal of the lock resulted in a miniature collapse, several of the heavier objects from the trash heap toppling backwards and hitting the ground with a mighty crash. Gripping his fingers into the earth, in a final bid for freedom, Mandalus desperately dragged himself forwards, his lower body sliding out from underneath the now greatly lightened pile of junk, abiet completely flattened from the pressure. Regardless of the pain, all the long-suffering puppet could do was revel in the sweet release of freedom. While his legs would need to be plumped up once more, and the creases ironed out, he was no longer in a position where he might find himself trapped forever. And he owed it all to the kindness of his new acquaintances.

"My thanks to you from the bottom of my soul... I am in your debt strangers."

And then - a new sensation. The etheral fabric that kept his soul bound to this physical form resonating in the presence of another concentrated source of spiritual energy. Struggling to lift himself up on his oversized arms, his lower body having been completely crushed from months buried beneath the garbage heap, Mandalus looked up and stared at the creature drifting cautiously towards him.

"Can it be...? Another marionette...?"

The being did indeed resemble him in many ways, but the proportions were smaller, more petite. And it was missing a tail, open cuts in the doll's fabric exposing portions of stuffing that were starting to fall out. The energy he felt from it seemed decidedly feminine, somehow. And for a moment he marvelled in idea that there was another soul like him, bound to a physical form bearing so much similarity to his own. Were they of the same species? Before he could attempt to connect with her however, there was a sound of human voices from somewhere nearby. Screaming, yelling, and cries of battle filling the phantom with feelings of dread, anticipating the agony that was to follow. Balancing on his elongated arms, he shuffled forwards, walking on his hands while his lower body dangled lifelessly below his waist.

"Pardon me? Those voices... coming from that place... you're not planning on going near there, are you?"


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina snarled viciously as the door was blasted down, crumpled by energies she couldn't see. It didn't matter - the way was clear, and the Arcanine spared no attention for those behind her, focused on the charge and flames already wreathing her fangs, ready to bite down. Frollo had stopped to terrify the humans, but she could care less, leaping past him and letting the fire grow, tongues of it reaching out to reflect against the metal of her helmet. She fell upon one of the Pokemon, a Weavile, the flames searing it even as she sank her fangs into its neck before jumping off and growling as she sought out another victim.

This was too easy, really, but she hadn't come here for a fair fight, but to slaughter the opposition. A Flamethrower gathered in her jaws, and she set it loose, watching it arrow towards the humans with slitted eyes. This is what she had been made to do: kill. It didn't matter who, really, as long as she had an opponent and enough strength to keep fighting, keep killing. The mingled scent of blood and charred flesh was the sweetest smell in the world to her, and she was more than prepared to keep attacking until the air reeked of it.

"Anyone you want dead in particular?" she asked her companions, voice harshened by the constant, bloodthristy snarl that continued to make itself heard. She eyed an Ursaring with an almost greedy look. Yes. Things were simple now. She had what she wanted, after all that turmoil. This was much easier than agonizing over it.


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina snarled viciously as the door was blasted down, crumpled by energies she couldn't see. It didn't matter - the way was clear, and the Arcanine spared no attention for those behind her, focused on the charge and flames already wreathing her fangs, ready to bite down. Frollo had stopped to terrify the humans, but she could care less, leaping past him and letting the fire grow, tongues of it reaching out to reflect against the metal of her helmet. She fell upon one of the Pokemon, a Weavile, the flames searing it even as she sank her fangs into its neck before jumping off and growling as she sought out another victim.

This was too easy, really, but she hadn't come here for a fair fight, but to slaughter the opposition. A Flamethrower gathered in her jaws, and she set it loose, watching it arrow towards the humans with slitted eyes. This is what she had been made to do: kill. It didn't matter who, really, as long as she had an opponent and enough strength to keep fighting, keep killing. The mingled scent of blood and charred flesh was the sweetest smell in the world to her, and she was more than prepared to keep attacking until the air reeked of it.

"Anyone you want dead in particular?" she asked her companions, voice harshened by the constant, bloodthristy snarl that continued to make itself heard. She eyed an Ursaring with an almost greedy look. Yes. Things were simple now. She had what she wanted, after all that turmoil. This was much easier than agonizing over it.


----------



## ....

As Leo snuck in, he saw a familiar face.

The face of a Persian, stained with blood. She slowly strolled over to him and forced him into the center of the pit.

"Fight, my _darling_, or else," Suzanne hissed. She let out a roar loud enough to startle a Wailord.

"Well then. No turning back now, eh?" she murmured.

Leo smirked a bit. "I'll defeat you, no worries," he purred.

She pounced on him, pinning him to the ground on his back.

"Who's the hero _now?_" Suzanne screeched, "Will your _friends_ help you out _now_?"

"HELP!" Leo yelled.

((Boss fight!))


----------



## Exo-Raikou

"Nobody," Frollo grunted at Basaina, slicing his blade through a Vaporeon that had been deployed right behind him by one of the humans. "Kill anyone that gets in your way, and once we're done with the rabble, we will free those imprisoned."

The human that had sent the Vaporeon against him started to run away, but Frollo stopped any hope he had of escaping by attacking his legs. The blade went through the stomach of the human moments later.

Grinning maddeningly, Frollo spread his two swords beside him, as if they were demonic wings, and ran forward, cutting down two humans that made the mistake of getting too close. Another one saw this and again, started to run, and Frollo leaped at the human-

Only to be blocked by a Houndoom's horns. The dark dog was clearly the trainer's pokemon, and it looked none too pleased at the Alakazam.

Frollo made a slash for the dog, but it jumped back, horns lowered again. A second slash attempt succeeded, but the blade did not go all the way through the Houndoom.

"Oh, good," Frollo said, "here I thought you'd all be too easy. Let's make this a worthwhile battle, shall we?"


----------



## River

The call for help set Allum's mind back from the bloodlust. He turned and pushed off the human he had singed and felt the human body give way. He leapt across the battle, dodging the smaller skirmishes as best he could. At one point a Tropius tried to stop him but the type match up was poor and he set the leafy pokemon alight with a flamethrower, _'I had almost forgotten how this felt. Too bad this is only going to last a while.'_ he shook his head, the part of him that loved destruction had gotten stronger. He dodged around the Tropius's neck and continued towards where he had heard the call.

The Persian had the Quilava that he recognised from earlier pinned against the floor. The persians face was stained red, probably with blood. He felt the flames rise in his mouth as he dashed towards the Persian. When he was close he pushed off the ground and threw his body against the Persian.


----------



## Anomaly 54

((Well, I leave for a three day school trip and suddenly a boss fight!))

Paza waited for a moment, then ran into the gym, just in time to see several fallen humans and Pokémon, and a Persian under attack from a Quilava and Flareon. He felt an urge to help his evolved-form, but he resisted the urge and extended his claws, following behind the Flareon.


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic watched the creature in utter fascination. It was made of cloth, so could endure being completely flattened. And when flattened, it could expand to refill it's body - he'd never seen anything about it. Was it full of air? Then how did it's body worked? Maybe it was a ghost type... but then why did it choose to possess such cloth? Or did it have a choice in the matter? 

"...We might. We're hoping to free the others trapped there." Dominic said. He had half an ear on the conversation between the others and heard the suggestion to move on from the upcoming pit to another. He offered the ghostly pokemon a small smile. "Either way, welcome Mandalus. My name is Dominic." He introduced himself politely. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to go near the pits..." He said quietly. He knew many pokemon had and simply would bolt for freedom when the opportunity came. There was no point in begrudging them.


----------



## Mai

Smile uncertainly floated into the pit, looking down at the rough, weirdly black ground, waiting for Flyte to go somewhere so she could follow. She didn't want to be here at all, but if Flyte fainted again...  he would need some help. _i hope we can get out of here soon..._

She turned back and gestured at him. She was a bit ahead, and the togetic didn't want to be alone in this place. Not that she was, really, but all the others she saw in her group were so serious except Paza. She didn't really know Paza yet, so she couldn't really count him as a friend, but she knew she would like him. He seemed nice!

She gazed forward, actually looking into the pit for the first time. Fire. Blood, all the red... the ground, charred, humans, lying around... the... corpses. Frollo. Chopping through _bodies,_ the fire created by the aracnine was so hot, burning off her sparkles...

It suddenly stung. Her heart? Her brain? The images... would they go away? She flew almost into a fire, taking off the rest of her joy dust. She didn't feel so joyful now. 

How? _Why?_ The innocents... one wasn't even doing anything. She had to help... to heal. Her side? Their side?  The wounded. Injured... no dying...

She had to stop flying. It was taking away her joy dust, but did that matter? She kept on flying, zooming towards an innocent, small eevee that had been hurt somehow. By who? She didn't know. But he was bleeding... it looked horrible.

She used wish. 

It didn't work. 

She had to find someone to heal, to help. She flew over to the quilava and the other eevee, quickly using wish on them. It was tiring, using wish three times in a row. She ignored it.

"Kay! Quilava and... you other eevee, I don't know your names! Smile, mine! I used wish on you, so if you get hurt, you'll be fine!" She blurted quickly.

She had no idea what to do know. Would Flyte come soon? She needed a leader...


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte saw Smile fly ahead and ran afterwards, into the pit. He saw blood everywhere and had to leap over a body cut in half by Frollo's swords.

"Whoa!" He ducked as a Wigglytuff loosed a flamethrower towards him, the hot flames singing the fur on his back. He saw Smile flit around, looking slightly desperate, using wish on different pokemon. He quick attacked over next to Smile and smiled at her.

"Here, calm down and stick with me. I don't think we wanna be separated in here...it's so....blood-thirsty." Flyte looked down sadly, all of the pain from all of the pokemon hitting him in waves. He shook his head and half closed his eyes, drawing on that healing power and energies. The power flowed from him to his allies, Smile, the Arcanine, Frollo, the Quilava, Allum, the Absol, all of them. It was tiring, very very tiring, but it was better to end this as quickly as possible and rescue the trapped pokemon and get out of here.

Flyte's legs began to tremble from all of the energy he was losing, and his vision flickered faintly. He let out a soft whimper.


----------



## Metalos

The Raichu who had first discovered his rotting body lying in the trash heap replying to his question with grave news, Mandalus forced himself to return the electric rodent's polite smile, despite the foreboding news that the group was considering investigating the frenzied chaos taking place over by the Viridian Gym.

At least now he had a game to go by, the Raichu introducing himself shortly afterwards as Dominic. Likewise assuring him that he did not need to accompany their group if he did not want to. Concerns that the Banette quickly dismissed with a solemn shake of his patchwork head.

"Thank you for the most generous welcome Dominic, and I would accept nothing less than to be your companion. One good turn should deserve another."

Knowing that he would be of no use to his new companions with crushed legs, Mandalus lowered himself to the ground and reached over to an old mattress, plucking out handfulls of old cotton out through a rip in the corner and stuffing it into his mouth. Reaching his arms down his neck and plumping up his flattened appendages with the fresh material.

"I will accompany you," he said with a muffled voice, his arm still reaching down his throat, "be it to the depraved underground labyrinth of pits, or through the fires of hell themselves. Although I personally find the latter to be the lesser of the two evils. Until I am satisfied that I have repaid your kindness - I shall endeavour to be of assistance to you."

Standing up, his lower body now mostly functional, he let his elongated arms slump beside him and shuffled forwards so that he was standing close enough to the group to talk more freely. Watching the Lucario who'd performed the physical act of freeing him tending to his daughter with a melancholy smile.


----------



## Sylph

Halan smiled as he watched the pokemon 'mend' himself, watching the aura of the being as his physical sight continued to watch his daughter. After he was sure she was alright, he turned his head and looked down at the new member and studied him silently. He then kneels down on one knee and reaches out his free paw to him. "I am Halan, and if you like, I think you vould be light enough to carry along vith my daughter and dear Pali here. I do hope you vill find some peace of mind vith us as ve travel to the next place." He whispered to him in a calm voice. He glanced over to the city, a slight change to the expression in his eyes barely detectable. "Ve vill be skipping this place and head for Pewter city I beleive" he added.

He looked back to the animated toy, a slight smile on his face. "And vhat vould yous name be...unless you'd prefer to be known as 'Toy'" he finished with a soft chuckle.


----------



## Mai

Flyte had quick attacked over, getting singed by a wigglytuff on the way. Smile tried to ignore the gory images and focused on her friend. He was talking. 

_"Here, calm down and stick with me. I don't think we wanna be separated in here...it's so....blood-thirsty."_ He said.

"Yeah..."She murmured distresssfully, she didn't want to leave Flyte. But how could she help?

Flytte helped. He glowed, healing the others, and collapsed again. The togetic tried her best to be calm, he wasn't going t-to _die,_ just tired.

"Okay, Flyte. Using wish now. You're going to be fine..." Smile trailed, trying to be calming. She ending sounding like panicked, even though she put her best effort into being steady. He was going to do this _all the time,_ but she couldn't help associating him to that one eevee.

She quickly used wish, and wondered if it even works in such a horrid place. The embers seemed to be burning all over her...


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Frollo felt the enhancement from the Eevee flowing into his blades. The Houndoom figured this out too, and charged at Frollo with the blades still in its flank. Caught by surprise, Frollo was sent flying back, and his swords came with him, which meant they tore another slash into the Houndoom.

Before he could get up, he was engulfed by the Houndoom's flamethrower. he managed to jump backwards before a second one came his way. He made another charge with his swords at the ready, but the Houndoom anticipated this and rolled out of the way.

"Okay, time for a new strategy."

Frollo charged again, and swung one of his swords at the Houndoom, and shaped the other into a hammer. Attention completely caught by the incoming sword, the Houndoom failed to see the hammer coming at him from the other side.

The hammer caught the Houndoom's flank and slammed the dog into the ground. Frollo shaped his hammer and blade into axes and calmly strode over to the Houndoom.

"You are hereby judged to be unworthy," he said, and brought both axes into the Houndoom's flank.

Having killed the Houndoom, Frollo finally saw the Quilava being attacked by a Persian. But only for a moment, for Frollo turned away from the battle and continued deeper into the pits.


----------



## wolftamer9

It wasn't an easy fight. The other pokemon posed at least a mild challenge, but Lurkky wasn't sure what to do with himself. His "Luck" had run completely dry years ago, and fights took much more effort now, something he wasn't used to. That, and the big scene he had made earlier made him unsure what state to leave his enemies in. 
Should he just immobilize them to the minimal amount possible? Or should he slash his way through the bodies like the others were doing? On the one hand, they could come back and hurt someone. On the other hand, they were practically innocent without their trainers to control them.

This indecisiveness didn't help at all. While he was trying do pick a side, he was getting beaten up terribly. Finally he decided to just remove all threats. He scanned the vicinity. Then he drew in a breath, and the glands on his neck started to expand. A Tauros randomly slammed into him and he coughed out a massive black cloud that paralyzed all the victims in sight. 

This attack was his signature move, and it had always helped him through fights. A group of pokemon lay on the ground, unable to move. Lurkky could've sworn he could smell some terrible odor. Yes, his canine nose never failed him. He turned to the violent looking Tauros who had slammed into him. The smell was clear. He realized in horror that the Tauros, though still alive, was rotting.


----------



## Coloursfall

Edward tilted his head at Sheila's idea, then smiled. That did sound like a good plan...Just had to force their way through the forest and into Pewter...and from there overtake the Puppet and his gang of brainwashed slaves. Yes, he did like that idea, he liked it quite a lot.

"Alright, let's go! We crash the party in Pewter, then we can either pull through Mt Moon and head for Cerulean, or take a shortcut through Diglett's Cave, whichever," Edward announced, loud enough for the rest of his group to hear well. 

And with that he tore towards the forest, the speed of his species quite an asset to him here. It wasn't long before he was slinking among the cool shade of the trees and the dense underbrush teeming with insects.  He brushed past a nest of Caterpie, sending the small bug types cowering, and didn't stop until he found the giant tree directly before the entrance of the gate humans used to enter the forest.

He sat under the tree and waited for everyone else to catch up, licking his paws.


----------



## Zora of Termina

Seeing Ed speed off, Sheila almost automatically ran after him, glad he had liked her idea. The faster they got ahead of those hoes, the sooner she might be able to find her siblings, her surrogate father... her only other close friend.

Going by her memory, she found it kinda funny. Another Lucario with a funny accent... it was probably coincidence, but Sheila couldn't help but wonder...

_"Get your head outta the clouds! You're about to crash!"_

She didn't think much of the voice this time, but it snapped her back into reality, and she skidded to a halt just before she hit the tree Ed was sitting next to.


----------



## Metalos

Mandalus' smile widened as the Lucario crouched down and extended a paw to him in offering, he reached out his own oversized palm and grasped the one who called himself Halan's paw firmly but gently. In response to the Lucario's offer of transportation, the Banette shook his head respectfully, although he did flash the youngsters on his back a gentle smile. Something about them made him feel at ease, even though he was afraid to touch them, his arms being impaled by countless needles as they were.

"Thank you... Halan. But I do not wish to be a burden to anyone. And I would be mortified if I was to accidentally harm any who have shown me such compassion."

The ghost whispered with solemn conviction. Releasing the Lucario's paw with slight reluctance, their brief moment of physical contact having given the Banette a brief exposure to emotions never encountered within the pits before. He watched him with something resembling awe as he announced that they would be travelling to Pewter City next. News that sent waves of relief down to the core of Mandalus' soul. The Lucario asking his name, having not been around when he had first uttered it to Dominic, he was only too willing to oblige. 

"Toy... it is a kinder name than was given to me in the pits. I would accept it happily. Although to answer your question, my name is Mandalus."

Bowing his head briefly to the Lucario in a display of respect, verging on envy, of his incredible kindness, he again reached an arm down his own neck and into his body. Pulling out a small amount of his own stuffing - his life force - shaped via his powers into a small duplicate doll of himself with an expression of loneliness. A *Substitute* with all the softness he could muster - but no needles.

"Since I fear I cannot be of comfort to your daughter as I am now... would you please accept this gift, as but a minute token of my gratitude? Should she ever be in trouble... this part of me will protect her."

He said with timid kindness, holding out the doll, referring of course to the fact that it contained but a small portion of his life. If anyone was ever to attack Halan's daughter - the substitute would shield her from damage and sacrifice itself to protect her. Assuming that it's creator was not around to do the same thing himself.


----------



## see ya

Pali watched the sad-looking ghost with a slight sense of wonder. He looked to be in really bad shape, and yet he still moved. He seemed to be really happy about being found by them. He even just took part of himself to make a doll for the tiny, sad, blind Riolu. Pali smiled down at him from atop Halan's head.

"You know... you're really nice... even if you look sad... but I'm sure you'll get along with everyone here... I like you, at least... Man-dal-us...? That's your name? Oh... I'm Pali... nice to meet you Manda...mandu...umm... Nice to meet you..." She laughed softly.

She gripped Halan's ears a little tighter, not wanting to be swept away on the breeze.


----------



## Sylph

Halan took the doll into his paw and looked it over, studying it silently before tucking it next to his daughter. He reaches out and pats the Bannet's head, Mandalus he now knows, and smiles down at him before getting back onto his feet. He glances off to watch the retreating forms of Edward and Shelia. He let out a low chuckle under his breath, turning a bit to face the direction of the two.

"It vould take more than your pins to harm me, Mandalus. But I do thank you for the gift to my daughter...it brings some peace to my mind. Now, you and Dom need to start moving. Hoss is our slowest member so ve may need to vait for him...hm. Question...you are a ghost type, are you the type that can float on their own power or are you stuck to valking?"

Halan glanced back down to Mandalus for a few moment, then looks at his daughter, taking the doll and brushing it against her face. "My daughter...you have a new friend to hold." he muttered happily to her, starting to step away from Dom and Mandalus.


----------



## Bluberry Bat

((hnghrml really need to catch up))

Anastasia had been quiet and still since the group had started moving - she was conditioned as such her short life of being carted around at the whims of her captors. Her head was still reeling, so much seemed to happen, she still wondered how it could be so. The concept of a father was one within her which was merely instinctual, and as he whispered comforting words in her familiar language, her mind wandered to places it had not been before.

She was soon snapped out of such things, however, as even with slowly conditioning to the waves of emotion all around her, an especially strong sense washed across her - like the weight of many burdened upon a single being. The small Riolu shivered and whimpered softly, clutching the comforting fluff of her companion closely. The group had stopped, and Anny tried her best to focus on the calm demeanour Pali and her father maintained.

Although tormented emotion bombarded her, there we many layers to it - it wasn't like the others, but rather wispy and unstable, like waning memories - but her fear slowly subsided, such awful feelings fading behind overwhelming gratefulness and compassion.
It addressed her, snapping her back to a more physical realm - she wasn't immediately sure how to respond, when a soft plush was tucked under her arm. It was odd, though - it felt almost alive. Reluctantly, she slowly reached her single paw down from Pali's comforting fluff to grasp it. A warm feeling welled up within her, another concept she was not accustomed to.

"For..... Me?" She asked, carefully, voice cracking ever so slightly underneath her thick accent. "Y- you vould.. give this.. to me?" She held the small doll closely to her chest, feeling tears form in her eyes - not of pain, for the first time she knew, but of happiness. "...S- sp- ... Spaseebah... T- .. Thank.. You..."


----------



## Metalos

As the substitute was taken from his outstretched arms, Mandalus felt a fresh wave of weariness wash over him. Years slowly decomposing under the crushing weight of his former prison, and now freely offering some of his own life energy, and his strength was starting to weaken. His ragged body creasing like fabric as his life force started to decline, a visible sign that his soul was having trouble animating the body it had been bound to, becoming less like a living creature and more like a lifeless toy the weaker he became.

Watching the little girl hug the substitute tightly made him feel a pang of longing. Wishing dearly that he could switch places with the part of himself now cradled in her arms and be of comfort to her instead. To do so was not what his body had been designed for, however. So for now his only solace would be to watch their joy from a distance, and take heart in the fact that one part of him would now always be around to shield them from suffering. 

"You are very welcome. Your praise means more to me than you can imagine..."

Shuddering, Mandalus wished that he could *Rest*, if only his *Insomnia* did not prevent him from doing so. He needed to recover his lost energy, if not by consuming something, then by taking it from another being. Something he would not even consider as an option in the company of his newfound pack. Content to bear the hunger and save the group the trouble of finding him nourishment, he changed the subject preying on his mind to the matter of Halan's question.

"I can only walk I am afraid. But fear not. If this Hoss you speak of is as slow as I, then we shall have no further trouble keeping up with you."

Weakly lifting one of his heavy arms up into the air, the stiffness and slowness of his movements betraying his frail speed, there was a glimmer of light from the palm of his outstretched hand, and his whole body seemed to shimmer. A bubble of distorted space appearing localized around his body. Blinking once, his next movement was so fast that it was a blur. The *Trick Room* reversing the natural order of the world around him, converting his shambling movements that couldn't outpace a Caterpie into blinding speed that would rival even that of a Ninjask. His weakness becoming strength as the bubble moved along with his body, not wishing to catch Dominic or Halan inside, which would have a negative effect on their naturally impressive speed.

"Please go on ahead. I will see if I can assist your ally, and then we will catch up to you. Our separation will be brief."


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina barely saw her enemies - it wasn't arrogance, but simply the speed of her passage. There were too many scents to consider, all cloaked in fire and blood and burning flesh. Pokemon blended together - they were all simply enemies, victims of her fire. She only noticed them long enough to find weakpoints and bury her fangs in their necks, or simply sear them with flame until they were a blackened heap of bones and fur, useless and dead. The sudden smell of rotting meat made her turn, and she spotted a group of Pokemon, unable to move. One of them... seemed to be dying, but it still twitched. The crazy Mightyena was nearby. She growled at him.

"If you don't want to kill them for good, don't leave them lying around so they'll heal and try to attack us when our back is turned," she told him, calling forth more fire, which she set loose upon the victims without any mercy. She didn't pay attention to any screams of pain if they were still able to wail - they didn't matter. 

With that, she found Frollo wading deeper into the pits, and she loped over to join him, whirling around suddenly to strike at an Ursaring. This took a little more time, as the bear Pokemon had the advantage of height and weight, but she gathered fire around her in a Flame Wheel, and charged. It reeled back, the blistering heat from the flames hurting it and making it drop its guard just enough for her to clamp jaws around its leg. Crippled, it staggered, and she flung herself at it, heedless of the long claws it struck out with when she got close. She could tend to her wounds later, once the battle was done. They weren't too deep, and on top of her renewed energy, she felt like she could fight fifty more without flinching. Howling her triumph as she took a step back from her dead opponent, she called up even more fire, holding it ready as she followed the Alakazam.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Having shaped the axes back into swords, Frollo again cut a swathe through the fleeing humans, and was soon joined by Basaina. The Alakazam looked pleased to see that she wasn't holding any sort of attack back against the enemy.

"I doubt that there can be too many more enemies in wait," Frollo said, impaling a Leafeon that made the mistake of trying to pounce onto him, "if we continue at our current pace, we might be able to liberate all those imprisoned within oh... ten, fifteen minutes tops. Possibly twenty. After that..." he dropped his voice, "we will abandon the Mightyena and Togetic."

His charge was suddenly cut off by a Slaking that had jumped in front of him. Glaring down at Frollo, the best tried to smash a fist down onto Frollo, but he leaped out of the way moments before it could connect.

_Now then, I'll deal a few damaging blows while it loafs around,_ Frollo thought, _and then dodge when it starts to attack again._

With that plan in mind, he made a charge at the Slaking, swords drawn-

And barely twisted out of the way of a fist that came own right at him.

"Typical, really," he muttered, "I suppose you were another one of their experiments, then? A Slaking that could move as freely as it wanted? How very... disgusting."

It growled, and then made another fist slam at Frollo, again missing by inches.

_Fast, and can make constant attacks. Executing this one will be... a challenge.

I would like to find whoever did this to the Slaking, and congratulate them for conjuring up such a challenge. And then kill them, of course._


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza stopped mid-lunge when he saw the Alakazam unable to get a hit off against a suprisingly agile and energetic Slaking. He turned and ran for the beast, jumping once he'd cleared half the distance. He focused his energy into the coin on his head, and a stream of gold disks flew out and hit the Slaking. _Woah! He didn't seem fazed? I guess I'll have to try something better then!_ He ran forward again ducking under a fist aimed at Frollo. He grabbed onto the Slakoth's neck and extended his claws, before aiming a slashing frenzy at the Slakoth's face.


----------



## wolftamer9

Lurkky was watching the scene with nothing but horror. Everyone was killing; there was blood and fire and steel all jumbled together in a mess of murder. And to top it off, his own plan was failing because of the unnecessary damage his last attack had done. The Alakazam, the Arcanine, and a Meowth appeared to have grouped together to fight a Slaking, and others seemed immersed in their own fights as well.

_I can't do this,_ he thought, but he knew he had to if he wanted things to go right. That was the deal.

A Pelipper came out of nowhere and dived at him. He attempted to dodge, the result being him tumbling off to the side. It occurred to him that overthinking it was what was getting him hurt right now, and he charged for the Pelipper, jumped in the air, and clawed it down. He landed quite ungracefully but picked himself the best he could and approached the bird. Its wing was badly damaged; there was no way it was any threat now. He would have to do this, he would have to immobilize his attackers the hard way.

A human chucked a pokeball at him hoping he'd be imprisoned. Lurkky caught sight of this and dodged it just barely. Others were coming for him fast, so he lunged forward and made a dash to help the others, a much safer bet. He sprang into the air in the direction of the Slaking, but missed and hit the ground hard, tumbling to a stop.


----------



## Sylph

Halan chuckled as he watched the now trick room empowered Bannet run ahead of him, shaking his head a bit and petting his daughter's hair. He reaches up and pat Pali, finding the calm girl comforting in these times. He mutters for Pali to hold on before He turned on his heel and started to run along the trail of the others, holding onto his daughter a bit tighter to not lose her. Risking glances to his daughter, he smiled as she snuggled the soft plush avatar, a warm feeling fluttering in his chest.

"Moĭ sladkiĭ zvezdy..." he whispers to her, looking back at the path before him and weaving through the grass around the raised ledge. He looks around disheartened at the lack of pokemon that used to appear in grass, cursing the pits in his mind for the damage they have caused. Shaking his head, he moves to the side of the large building serving as a entrance to the large forest beyond to the human masses. Stalking through the brush, he follows the scent of ashes and heat mixed with the smell of a cat in need of a bath.

"So easy to track...he needs to be dipped in a bath" He chuckled, turning the last corner and spots the others under the tree. He made his way over to them, sitting down to rest against the tree.

"Hello Cat, Shelia. Miss me?" He smirked, petting his daughter's hair. He reaches up and picks up Pali, placing her on his lap with a soft pat on her head. "Sorry if you almost fell off. You are very light, Pali"


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte sighed as the Wish power soothed and restored his energy and he ran further into the pit. Smoke stung his eyes and made everything murky and hard to see. It looked like a whole wall was on fire. He saw pokemon everywhere fighting. Suddenly a Typhlosian was towering right in front of him, roaring defiantly at the sky, flames shooting from it's back. 

Flyte skidded to a stop and the Typhlosian looked down at him with blood-red eyes, mouth twisted in a snarl, it's fangs wet with blood from other pokemon. It leaped towards Flyte, arm engulfed in flames, and Flyte quick attack'd a little ways away just as the Typhlosian Fire Punch'd the ground right where Flyte had been seconds earlier.

Flyte's breath came quick as he nervously looked around for help, but everyone was busy fighting other pokemon. He was all alone _but he couldn't take on a Typhlosian!_ Well...maybe he could run? The Typhlosian, almost as if reading his thoughts, began approaching Flyte and he backed up nervously.

Suddenly he found himself backed into a corner and he groaned as he realized what had happened. The Typhlosian had backed him into a corner - escape was impossible now! The Typhlosian cackled, demonic eyes glowing in the fire light, and powered up fire in its mouth. Fire swirled and gathered in its gaping maw as it charged up a flamethrower.

Just as it released the deadly flames in a stream of scarlet death towards Flyte, he used baton pass, warping time and space to suddenly switch places with the Typhlosian. It roared in pain as its own attack slammed into it, scorching its skin.  It whirled around and dashed forward, grabbing Flyte by the scruff of his neck and hurling him into the wall.

"Agh!" Flyte yelled as he crashed into the hard bricks, pain radiating up his shoulder. He tried to stand and winced; he couldn't put pressure on his left forepaw. The Typhlosian grinned as it came in for the kill, claws glowing red for another fire punch.


----------



## Exo-Raikou

Needled on all sides by the attacks, the Slaking was having trouble choosing which of the pokemon to target. It made its decision in slamming both fists again down at Frollo, who twisted out of the way, again, just barely, moments before they would have crushed him. Frollo continued his twist, taking advantage of the momentum to swing both swords at the Slaking's fists. The twin blades sunk into the Slaking's hand... and stopped before they could slice their way through the appendage.

Off guard, Frollo attempted to pull the blades free from the fist, but they refused to budge. The Slaking saw this, and gave the closest thing it could to a grin.

It lifted its fist up, and Frollo barely had time to let go before he would have went with it. Even though Frollo was no longer holding onto the blades, they remained in their sharpened state. It was clear that they would probably have to go to something sharper to be removed from the Slaking's body.

That suited Frollo just fine.

Calling on his mental prowess, the Alakazam sent a massive psychokinetic wave at the Slaking's arms. This would take a lot of concentration, but if Frollo could get it right, he could rob the Slaking any use of its arms.

The Slaking again saw that Frollo was in a vulnerable position, and it charged again. Within inches of Frollo, it skidded to a halt, raised a massive fist, and-

Both of its arms slammed to the ground, thanks to a massive psychokinetic push by Frollo. The ape tried to pick its arms back up, but found that they were being forced down by something greater.

Frollo calmly strode over to the Slaking, grabbed the handles of his blades, and switched them over to axes, axes that were strong enough to be pulled out of the Slaking's hand with a great amount of effort. Upon extracting the weapons, he changed them back into swords.

A psychic push toppled the Slaking to the ground. Frollo continued onward, but not before turning to the Arcanine and Absol.

"I leave it to be judged by either of the two of you. We cannot waste any more time, and I believe that such a large monster would be better felled by one of the two of you. Try not to take long in killing it."

With that, he put more psychic energy into his muscles, and ran onward.


----------



## ....

Both Suzanne and Leo were close to death; they had been brawling for a while now.

Leo lay on the ground unconscious. Suzanne picked him up in her mouth and carried him out of the pit.

The duo eventually ended up in the Viridian Forest. It was there that Leo died of blood loss. 

"Goodbye...brother." Tears gathered in her eyes as she examined the pool of blood around her.

She, wanting to be with Leo, Slashed herself in the chest and too died.

((exit post))


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza had to jump back from Slaking's neck to avoid being slashed. He watched the Alakazam, Absol and Arcanine have a discussion. _Heh, what's with all the A's? Meh._ He ran after the Alakazam into the next swathe of humans. He slashed a few of them, blasted a Tediursa with Pay Day, then jumped over it and slashed at it's back. It moaned in pain and slumped over. Paza frowned...he'd only wanted to wound, not kill! Shrugging it off, he went over to the next swathe of humans, leaving the last lot to roll around in agony as blood poured from their faces, necks and torsos.


----------



## Mai

Once Flyte had been healed, he ran off to help some other pokemon. It was unnerving. He was there, and then gone, and it was hard to see him, the flames and smoke consuming everything in reach... 

Smile couldn't concentrate. She was jittery and upset, and the world was all so _different._ Everything was so sharper, but worse, and... had to find Flyte. 

Had to find Flyte. Smile flew quickly through the smoke and ash, ignoring the carnage around her. There was one thing on her mind. _Need to find my friend..._

There was a typhlosion, breathing fire, so menacing... _attacking Flyte!_

He was in a corner. Smile was a healer, not a fighter, but she had to help. What moves did she know? Moves... moves! Ancientpower!!! It was super effective against fire.

She summoned huge stones, glowing with power, and rapidly but accurately sent them towards the typhlosion. It would take a lot to dodge that, but still possible.

Smile was energized now, the powers giving her a boost. She used metronome on instinct, concentrating on water, sending a brine of water towards the enemy. Flyte would be safe soon, but now that fact was far from her mind.


----------



## Cloudsong

The Typhlosian laughed as it's claws glowed red-hot and flames exploded around them. Flyte was frozen in terror, pain radiating from his paw, as the flaming arm was hurtled toward him by the Typhlosian. Suddenly huge glowing rocks slammed into the Typhlosian's back, shattering upon impact. 

The Typhlosian grunted in pain and swung around, just in time to be slammed in the face with a torrential blast of saltwater that threw the Typhlosian backwards. Flyte barely had enough time to leap out of the way before the Typhlosian slammed into the wall hard, fire doused by the water, bricks splintered by the Typhlosian's massive weight.

It groaned and rose to its feet, eyes flashing red with pain and fury, looking at whatever had attacked him. It was Smile! Flyte looked at his friend in relief before turning back to the Typhlosian. The battle wasn't over yet.

Flyte felt tears well up in his eyes, blurring his vision slightly. Why did they have to fight so much? Why couldn't everyone just get along?! He sniffled and wiped the tears away with his injured paw, ignoring the pain. 

Now wasn't the time to get a woe-is-me attitude, not if he wanted to live through this. Flyte focused on all the pain and injuries and death in the room, pulling in all of this negative energy, forming hundreds of thousands of blood-red, glowing cards in the air. That wasn't enough for him though, he had to make sure the Typhlosian stayed down. He focused all of his own energy into the attack as well, not holding any back.

As the Typhlosian leaped towards Smile, roaring, flames flickering in it's jaws as it prepared to unleash a flamethrower, Flyte blasted all of the cards in a massive Trump Card attack at the beast.

The razor sharp cards sliced deep into the Typhlosian's skin and it was hammered into the opposing wall under a rain of deadly trump cards. The air was filled with the _swish-slice-shztz_ sound of the cards slicing through the smoke, the fire, the Typhlosian's skin, the bricks of the walls.

Finally the attack ended, and Flyte swayed on his paws, vision flickering, feeling light-headed and hearing a buzzing sound. He saw the Typhlosian, a bloody mess, lying motionless against the wall. Was it defeated? He didn't know. Was it...dead? He didn't know. He tried to step forward and say something, but his legs wouldn't move and his mouth wouldn't speak.

He couldn't feel any part of his body, but he saw the ground suddenly rushing towards him and tried to catch himself but couldn't. He hit the concrete and his breathing echoed loudly in his ears, everything else strangely muted. His vision flickered again and then began to fade, everything growing dimmer. Finally, everything became black and all of the sounds faded completely, and he fell unconscious.


----------



## Mai

Smile stared in shock for a few seconds at the damage the attack had done. It had knocked the typhlosion to the wall... he got back up, and started using flamethrower. Smile prepared herself, she could take it. The stones, she was faster and stronger now. But it had been interrupted, Flyte, he used trump card. He was hurt!

Flyte, he was hurt. Had to help. The togetic flew right over quickly, using wish once more. She had done it twice, maybe more now. Would work again.

She could keep wishing, yes. Her wish would come true, eventually. Just had to protect him until it kicked in. 

Protect! She knew that too. But that took so much energy, would it be better to just manually shield him? 

The pokemon, approaching, were they? The fires, so much to protect him from. It would just be easier, wouldn't it...

But she was so tired herself. Smile hadn't slept for a long while. The hours of metronome she had done before, plus all the other things... they were beginning to add up. Was it wrong to use it for herself? If she wished for herself, then she would have enough energy to use protect later. 

Smile used wish once more, for herself. Why, exactly, she couldn't tell. She was still _so_ _tired..._


----------



## River

Allum paced towards Flyte and Smile, limping slightly from a sprained ankle. When he was almost a metre away he saw Flyte collapse and Smile use wish
. 
"Are you two okay over here?" He moved over to Flyte and his body rippled as the tufts of fur on his body changed into leaves. He placed his tail against the body of the collapsed Eevee and the tips of the leaves on his body glowed bright green. Energy from Aromatherapy flowed from his body and into Flyte. The alteration in his DNA did help sometimes, despite most of his weaknesses he still knew some moves that he shouldn’t. After a minute he stopped the flow and stepped back. The leaves on his body glowed again, this time for Synthesis. He felt the sprained ankle right itself and he tested it experimentally, still a bit stiff but he could walk on it. Synthesis would've done better at the height of day outside. He let out a sigh,

"I wouldn't go down into the pits unless I had to. Not a very smart move to leave yourself open to an attack from behind." He moved the leaves on his body and a pleasant sound rippled out. 

'Grasswhistle in its most basic form, enough to calm raging Pokémon. An invaluable asset against any Pokémon that fights with anger.' He thought about that for a second before turning to Smile. 

"Hey, are you okay? You helped me out against that Persian; I can at least help you now." The Grasswhistle continued and he felt numbed to the most of the scene around him.


----------



## Metalos

As he watched his new owners, the people to whom he had sworn his life to, rapidly disappearing from sight, he reached up a slightly crumpled hand and waved them goodbye. His efforts to keep a cheerful face failing as he watched the two charming children and their compassionate father vanish from sight, the warmth of the love between them shining out to him like a beacon, warm and inviting, reminding him of just how cold and empty he felt inside. Would he ever have a warm hand to hold? Someone to wrap their arms around his neck and hold him to their body? Once again - he felt himself growing painfully envious of the doll now watching over the lives of those he held dear. On some level, he hoped that it appreciated what a great gift it had been given.

Unable to watch them as they finally disappeared completely from sight, Mandalus turned to face the others who "owned" him, Dominic and the other puppet. Who seemed also to be waiting for this Hoss character to show up. It would be wrong of him to abandon them, especially considering what terrible things were happing over by the gym, not very far away at all. Even from here, he could feel terrible emotions emanating from that building. Emotions that invoked painful memories from his time as the "Tiebreaker" fighting for the entertainment of his former owners. The humans who had first tasked him with draining away the emotions from other pokemon, and then rewarded him by condemning him to remain bound to this body until it was cursed no longer. A potentially endless life blighted by constant pain, which alas, was the source of his twisted power.

Pain was definitely what he was feeling now. It bled across the void, crying out to him from the direction of that abominable building. His heart already aching from the experience of having removed himself so quickly from the comforting sweetness of a child's love. He wanted the pain to end, he wanted to stop others from feeling pain, so that he would no longer be tormented by theirs. To bring an end to their suffering he would do anything. Anything, with the exception of violence. In all his years as a fighter in the pits, he'd always hated fighting, and if a draw was impossible, often he'd go so far as to let himself lose. With disastrous consequences for his body. The only times he'd ever killed had each been horrible experiences he would never forget. It would never come naturally to him.

"I wish they would stop fighting..."

He groaned, reaching up and placing a hand on his head, images of burning bodies and bloody corpses forcing themselves unwelcome into his mind. Seeking him out like a magnet for misery. Even worse, he was starting to get a fearful premonition, pokemon from the pits escaping filled with rage and bloodlust, storming forth from the now unsealed door and rampaging across the land. His features creasing with concern, his body shuddered violently, his frail form struggling to hold itself together.

"I hope this atrocity ends soon..."


----------



## Stormecho

Basaina had watched Frollo fight the Slaking, pushing it around with an effortless ease that she envied. To have such powers at her command... but that didn't matter. She was strong enough to suit herself, with the fire burning at her will, and always strong enough to destroy what she needed to. Shaking herself, she didn't interfere until Frollo plainly asked for her to end its miserable existence. She was more than happy to comply.

_Is this what you've become? Were you never a child? Did you intend to grow up and become a foul butcher of lives?_

She hesitated, paw lifted and preparing to step forward and unleash all that fire. What... that voice. That Absol mother who had foolishly fought until she had killed her, too irritated by her persistence to bother enjoying it more. Yes, that had been why she had ended their lives quickly. Not out of mercy. That was ridiculous. Shaking her head, she stoked more fire, felt its warmth and the roar as it demanded more blood - 

And then she was roaring, fangs bared as she directed a Fire Blast at the Slaking, grinning as he howled in pain. The wave of heat made the air ripple, burned his fur and skin and surely caused a great deal of pain. She ran forward, knowing that he was still staggering, still _weak_, and she could revel in his fear as she tore him apart. Fangs sinking deep, she shook her head savagely, treating him as she would a carcass she was planning to eat, ignoring the blows he rained down as she pumped more flame out. In her head, she banished the image and the voice of the Absol with more fire, letting it char and wither until there was nothing left. 

Nothing but a faint sense of loss, that persisted even as she let the burned, broken body fall, running once more. Ears flat against her skull, she eyed the diminishing amount of opponents, dissatisfied. Why did it feel like something was chasing her?


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte wearily opened his eyes, vision blurry at first, but as his vision cleared he saw Smile and Allum. He groaned and climbed to his feet. Strangely, he wasn't hurting anymore. He hesitantly put pressure on his paw - it didn't hurt. Hmm...well, he certainly wasn't gonna argue. No pain is good.

"Hey. Um. Thanks guys, for healing me." He wasn't entirely sure, but as they were the only ones nearby, he assumed they'd healed him. He looked around; there weren't as many enemies left, most had been defeated already.

He saw, off in the distance, the Arcanine moving past the charred corpse of some large beast. It looked like everyone was moving farther into the Pits. He turned to Allum and Flyte.

"Should we go deeper in now?"


----------



## River

Allum turned as Flyte warily clambered to his feet, "I'll be staying here to fend off any reinforcements that the humans might bring, but neither of you are bound to assist me."
He looked around the room and the sound of his GrassWhistle turned to a mournful tune. 'So much destruction, so little point,' he knew there was a better way to go about this. Next time he would try and do what he could to lower the damage.


----------



## Littlestream

_What's wrong with this picture?_ Astrid asked herself as she continued through the pit. As she had originally decided to go straight to free the Pokemon, she was just trying to get to the cages as fast as possible. But the carnage around her had stopped her in her tracks. _If all they can do is kill, then what led them to escape? The lives snapped short by our hands... is it really all necessary? Why can't we all defeat Team Rocket together?_ 

The question looming in her mind, she continued lower into the pits.


----------



## Mai

There was an enemy, leafeon, coming... had to protect Flyte! She should've used the move! Smile prepared her metronome, ready to unleash a hopefully fire-type barrage on the intruder before he... glowed. Smile was paralyzed with fear, had to help Flyte... Her finger glowed and her fist burst into flame, and she started to fire punch the leafeon, have to save Flyte... but then the... enemy? She was still shaky at that point... he used aromatherapy on Flyte. Her fist fell, thankfully not harming the leafeon. In fact, she didn't think he noticed. 

Flyte was getting healed... that was good. In fact, the leafeon, he was whistling, a soothing tune... and her wish kicked in. She was refreshed, relaxed, and Flyte was awake. That leafeon was a friend. 

The leafeon was talking. Offering to help.

"The persian?" Smile asked. "You weren't there... or are you Allum? You evolved? That's great! Uh, I think I'm fine... my wish just kicked in." 

Flyte was talking too. Thanking her, and wanting to go in deeper. Deeper... more pain, hurt. She could heal? Yes, wishing. She could do that, but... "You're welcome Flyte," Smile said dazedly, still a bit confused, but that was one thing she was sure of. "This leafeon helped too. But... going deeper? It's so... hot and burning and death... if you want to." Smile couldn't help staring at that typhlosion they fought. He wasn't getting up...


----------



## Cloudsong

Smile seemed really jittery. Flyte frowned in concern. She was right that it'd get hotter and more dangerous the farther into the Pits they traveled...but they had come here to heal, hadn't they? But everyone didn't seem to need the healing powers...Maybe they could go find the imprisoned pokemon and help free them instead. They'd need healing in order to get out.

"Are you okay, Smile? What if we go find the trapped pokemon to save instead of fighting more?" He asked quietly.


----------



## River

He turned to Smile, "Close, more that I changed my skin, In fact, the Typhlosion sitting there is a bit unsettling in this form," He took a breath and he felt his bones begin to clatter and his skin and fur change. Soon he was a watery blue, a frill  and his tail had grown stronger, 

"That's what I mean. Anyway, you two are in no way required to go deeper into the pits. Those who have gone down there are seasoned fighters and I'm sure they can care for each other... Although they are more likely to care for themselves. It doesn't matter."


----------



## Mai

Helping. So much better, there was no pain, no hurting. There wouldn't be flames there, would they? No, it wouldn't. But, it was up to Flyte to choose. They _were_ here to heal. "I'd be fine either way, Flyte," Smile said, more composed now but still having a slight ring of distress. "We came here to heal, though. Will we help more down there?"

Her guess at the leafeon was almost correct. She turned to him, the now vaporeon, and said, with a small smile,"I'm glad I was close. It's pretty cool how you do that. Can you change between all your forms? But I'm kind of worried about that, them being all to themselves. They need a friend to help them. Experience may help you not get hurt, but when you eventually do, only kindness, of others and yourself, will help you get up."


----------



## Cloudsong

Flyte squinted as a cloud of smoke passed by.

"Well...from what it looked like, they didn't really need any help with healing, it seemed more like we were just getting in the way. I suppose we _could_ split up, one of us heading deeper in to help the fighters, the others going to save the prisoners?"


----------



## Anomaly 54

Paza soon regreted diving headfirst into the fray. He receieved several bruises and cuts and by the time he reached the lobby, where Smile and Flyte were, he was aching, badly.
"Help, please?" he called out as he walked slowly towards them.


----------



## Mai

Smile nodded. "Perhaps that, but  you aren't going alone. With that typhlosion, and you fainting, you... can't go alone. Sorry, Flyte." _He can't go alone... I have to heal him._

The meowth, Paza, was limping over to them. He was hurt! Have to help him! Not like the other eevee... no... Smile snapped out of her trance, flying over to him and attemptig to envelope him in an unexpected hug. She didn't know him that well, just met him, but he was fine! Just a few... bruises and such. Smile used wish once more. The togetic intending to grip his paws, tightly but not too so,  said quickly in relief, "Paza! I'm so sorry you're hurt, sorry! But you'll be fine! I used wish on you, so you'll be fine! You can join our group! We've got Allum and Flyte too, and you'll be fine! We're going to... well, we don't know. We might save the pokemon in the pits. But, we're a group and we're all friends here, they're fine, and you will be too..."

Her joy dust was starting to sprinkle over on him. It was coming back now, overcoming the fire and lifting her mood. Smile gestured over to her group of friends and smiled. "Okay, Paza, if you can walk fine, then let's go over to them, okay?" Smile asked. "We can plan together!"


----------



## shadow_lugia

What was happening?

As Nevra watched, things began to dissolve into chaos. Everyone seemed to attack everyone else. There was plenty of blood - that bizarre stuff that flowed from some creatures when they were torn.

She cowered and flinched away, keeping her distance. She had been in some fights, yes, but never on this scale. Where was the simplicity? What had happened to one being, herself, battling just one other being, the opponent? What should she concentrate on? Nevra wasn't even sure which ones were even suitable to attack. Some were friends, those who she should not fear, and others were ones she should hurt. But which was which? What if she hurt someone that she was not supposed to? What if someone hurt her when they were not supposed to?

Suddenly, Nevra realized that she felt stupid and weak. Here she was, not even being able to tell what she should do, while everything else fell into place around her! How did they know to do this? Was she perhaps the youngest in the group? In the world? Why was she even here, among strangers that she could not even comprehend, who could not comprehend her?


----------



## Dark Shocktail

Dominic nodded to Mandalus and began to ran after the others. He resisted the urge to close his eyes as he ran, wind brushing past his fur and chilling him. It wasn't pleasant to be cold...but it felt good to feel the cold. If that made any sense. 

He dimmed his glow as much as possible, keeping his eye on the speeding Banette under the influence of Trick Room. Once under the tree he quickly sat down, glancing between them. 
"So we're moving past this pit to the next...?" He asked quietly.


----------



## Sylph

Halan glanced down at Dom as the electric mouse sat, a simple smile on his face. "Da, Ve are leaving for next pit. There is no need for us to battle the Puppet this soon in the story. Ve vill have other moments, after ve free the pokemon in the places he cannot reach before us. The more ve free, the more that vill join us...eventually, ve vill be the driving force behind this revolution...the ones to bring the first light of the next era"
_
'Heh...you are quite the noble heart, aren't you Jackal...but scared of who...what...you are...ke ke...ke'_

Halan glances around himself again, a increased annoyed expression on his face. There was that voice again, coming from nowhere in sight. Letting out a soft growl, he brushes the voice away as being a mischievous psychic type trying to be funny.

_Whoever you are, Psychic type, You are not funny in the least._

_'...So you can hear me. My my, catching on quick...this should prove useful to me later. Kekeke...'_

Halan's ear twitches, a slight worry in his eyes from the voices last statement. Things were not going to get better with this troublesome psychic.


----------



## Anomaly 54

(Didn't realise someone responded to Paza, soz all)

Paza nodded and walked over to Allum and Flyte. "So what are we going to do? Wait here for people to come to us, or go in and help them?"


----------



## Mai

He was coming! Smile grinned, flying over to her group. She landed right next to Paza, but turned to face the team.

 "Hi guys! Paza's coming with us! I'm not sure what we should do, but perhaps now that we have so many people we should go help the others. I know I'm not particularly strong, but I can help the rest of the team with wish. Perhaps we should make a strategy? You know, who... attacks, and what we all do?" She trailed of on attacked, gulping and looking slightly scared. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, really. But so many were like that typhlosion. What happened to him?


----------

